Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is taking a page out of The Mandalorian‘s book and shooting scenes using virtual technology.
Peyton Reed posted the first set photo from the third Ant-Man film to Twitter, offering a unique perspective of the StageCraft set the film will be utilizing. Reed is, of course, familiar with the technology as he directed a Season 2 episode of The Mandalorian. Check it out:
The photo shows off a snow-covered landscape, but the center of the image holds a reflective orb that reveals The Volume, located at Pinewood Studios in the U.K. Pioneered by LucasFilm and Industrial Light and Magic, the breakthrough technology known as StageCraft was famously used to film The Mandalorian, allowing the actors to see the sweeping vistas of the alien worlds that will appear on the screen. The Volume is the name given to a large, curved series of LED screens that the actors can stand within. In the photo, you can see Reed with his camera and several crew members standing in front of the screens showing the virtual terrain.
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While Ant-Man and the Wasp filmed on mostly practical sets, like Hank Pym’s lab, the new image may tease that the film will be doing some traveling. The title alone promises more time in the fully CG Quantum Realm, but the picture indicates real-world locations will appear in the film as well (assuming it’s not just a testing locale). Either way, The Volume allows for actors to better react to their environments when those backdrops aren’t real.
Interestingly, the move stands in stark contrast to one of Marvel’s other upcoming films, Eternals. Directed by Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige recently detailed how impressed he was by the practical locations and shots she insisted on for the film.
It’s possible, however, that The Volume will primarily be used for more fantastical locations. Not only is the Quantum Realm likely to factor into much of Quantumania‘s plot, but with Kang the Conqueror serving as the movie’s villain, time travel could also play a major role. After all, the Quantum Realm was used for time travel in Avengers: Endgame. With that in mind, The Volume could help to realize far-flung future and past landscapes in the film.
Directed by Peyton Reed, Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne/The Wasp, Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne, Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang and Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror. The film arrives in theaters Feb. 17, 2023.
Source: Twitter