Today, Marvel Studios announced the start of production for Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Directed by Peyton Reed, the film is the 20th installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and sees the return of Paul Rudd as the title character who must now re-balance his home life as a father with his responsibilities as Ant-Man. For more on this, the full cast, a new plot synopsis, and a brief production start announcement video, check out the full story below.

The news comes on the heels of SDCC 2017, where it was announced that Michelle Pfeiffer would be playing Janet Van Dyne, Laurence Fishburne would play Giant-Man, and Hannah John-Kamen joins the sequel as the Ghost. Other newcomers to the MCU include Randall Park as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jimmy Woo, and Walton Goggins as Sonny Burch.

Evangeline Lilly returns to play Hope Van Dyne and will now suit up as the Wasp. Michael Douglas will reprise his role as Hank Pym, the first Ant-Man, and mentor to Scott Lang. Michael Peña, Tip “T.I.” Harris, and David Dastmalchian, return to reprise their roles as Luis, Dave, and Kurt, respectively. Judy Greer also returns to play Scott’s ex-wife.

Of course, much of the plot has been wrapped up in secrecy. Considering that Scott escapes from his prison, we’ll have to assume that life after the events of Captain America: Civil War hasn’t been easy. But I guess a lot of that can change since the film will presumably take place after or even during the events of Avengers: Infinity War.

So here’s a slight plot synopsis to give us an idea of what will be happening in the sequel:

From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes a new chapter featuring heroes with the astonishing ability to shrink: “Ant-Man and The Wasp.” In the aftermath of “Captain America: Civil War,” Scott Lang (Rudd) grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to rebalance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he’s confronted by Hope van Dyne (Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Douglas) with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside The Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from their past.

As far as we know, Ant-Man and the Wasp will not be another heist film. However, with a character like the Ghost, and Scott going on another mission with his heist crew, that could have been a misleading statement. It’s obviously too early to tell. But based on the synopsis alone, the sequel will probably be like the first in a way where the events really aren’t concerned with Infinity Stones. We’ll just have to wait and see how this all plays out.

Filming will take place in Atlanta, GA and San Francisco, CA. The script is written by Rudd, Andrew Barrer, and Gabriel Ferrari.

Ant-Man and the Wasp will open in theaters on July 6, 2018.

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[Source: Marvel Studios YT]