Bill Murray's Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania Character Is A 'Crucial Role' In The Movie
2022 hasn't been a great year for Bill Murray. In April, production on "Being Mortal," a film Murray was set to co-produce and co-star in, was suspended after a crew member filed a complaint alleging "inappropriate behavior" on Murray's part. According to The Guardian, this led to a $100,000 settlement, by which time, other industry professionals like Geena Davis and Seth Green had begun to come forward with further allegations of Murray's past misconduct.
For some viewers, the news may have put a damper on Murray's upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe debut. But in a new interview, "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" director Peyton Reed maintains Murray will have a "crucial role" in the film. What's more, his character represents an idea somewhat adjacent to the recent real-life controversy surrounding Murray: namely, that "you can put the past behind you, but the past will always find a way to show up again." Reed told Entertainment Weekly:
"Bill Murray plays a character from Janet van Dyne [Michelle Pfeiffer]'s past [in 'Quantumania']. It's a crucial role. A big theme in this movie is the things that parents and kids don't say to each other, the secrets that they keep in families. In the last movie, when Hank and Hope rescue Janet, Evangeline Lilly's character had this idea of: Oh, I'm going to be reunited with my mom, this is going to be great, we're going to talk about everything.' But what happens if the other person, in this case Janet, puts up a wall and maybe is not comfortable talking about certain things and doesn't reveal certain things about her past? As we know from great stories, you can put the past behind you, but the past will always find a way to show up again. Bill's character represents that in this movie."
A palate cleanser for 2022, but not for the MCU
Reed also circled back to some talking points we've heard before, telling EW that he doesn't want Ant-Man "to be the palate cleanser anymore" for the MCU after a big "Avengers" event movie. He echoed the same thoughts in his recent interview with Total Film for its 2023 Preview issue, adding that "Quantumania" would be "central to the future of the MCU."
Many a Marvel movie is all about saving the world from some massive threat with the power to destroy it. Until now, Paul Rudd's protagonist in the "Ant-Man" solo film series has managed to inhabit his own insect-sized corner of the MCU, one where he's been under house arrest sometimes and the stakes outside his Avengers adventures have been refreshingly low.
It remains to be seen how crucial Murray's "Quantumania" role will truly be, how central the film itself will really be to the MCU's future, and how much of this is just Reed in media hype-man mode for his upcoming Marvel movie sequel. One thing's for sure, though: for fans of Murray's work in films like "Ghostbusters" and "Lost in Translation" (the latter of which had him making a toast with Suntory Whisky to "relaxing times"), a palate cleanser after the news cycle of 2022 is something that might be very much needed.