It has been two very long years since a helpful rat flicked a switch to release Scott Lang, aka Ant-man, from the Quantum Realm in Avengers: Endgame, but it looks like he is finally heading right back into it with the announcement that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is almost ready to start shooting.

The third solo film in the Ant-man franchise was announced along with many other Phrase Four movies of Marvel's Cinematic Universe, but thanks to the Coronavirus Pandemic there has been a substantial delay on any further progress until the last few weeks when Marvel unveiled a new all-encompassing trailer which featured the new release dates of all its upcoming movies. Along with Guardians of The Galaxy Vol.3, Ant-man and the Wasp: Quantumania is now expected to hit theaters in 2023 as one of the last movies in this particular phase.

Director Peyton Reed, who directed the previous installments is back in the chair and took to Twitter to announce that his prep work on the movie begins now. Reed shared a photo in his Tweet from Pinewood Studios in London, UK, with the caption "Welcome to The Volume. QUANTUMANIA Prep Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, May 2021".

Although giving nothing away, the photo does suggest that Reed will be using some of the same technology Disney also took advantage of in The Mandalorian, which creates the effect of a moving, realistic background all around the set to give the appearance and feel of filming on a location shoot.

As you would expect, Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly are both back to reprise their roles of Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne, or Ant-man and The Wasp, if you want to use their made up names, as Peter Parker might say. Also returning are Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer, while Kathryn Newton and Jonathan Majors make their MCU debuts.

As with much of Marvel's new phase of movies, which kicks off in July with Black Widow, little is known about the plot, but going from recent rumours and Marvel's love of crossovers, it's likely that there will be plenty to tie into the ongoing mythology of the MCU as a whole.

Back in February, Evangeline Lilly appeared on the Beyond The Mouse podcast, in which she spoke about returning to the role, and where she sees her superhero character heading.

"I find myself pushing against this tough badass chick thing. Which is really interesting because at the beginning of my career I was pushing that so hard. I guess I must be a contrarian by nature. Because I find myself going 'well hang on a minute.' We're all so fragile and vulnerable and small and soft. And I find myself going 'Woah, we aren't supposed to just be men with boobs'. Like what does it mean to be a woman? That question of what does it mean to be a woman is extremely important right now. What I think is crucial is that we're exploring that right now through our stories."

"I'm really excited. I can't give anything away but I think, my hunch is, I may have manifested something in that space in the Marvel world with Hope van Dyne. Because I think the direction we're going with her might be very satisfying for me in that way."

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is now expected to arrive in theaters February 17, 2023.