#Bill Murray’s Ant-Man 3 Role Teased By Ghostbusters: Afterlife Co-Star Paul Rudd

Following reports of Bill Murray joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Paul Rudd has personally weighed in. Recently, rumors had broken that Murray would be appearing in the movie, though details of his role weren’t revealed. He later confirmed that he had joined “a Marvel movie,” though he didn’t specifically say that it was Ant-Man 3.

While promoting Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Rudd was asked about Murray’s involvement in Ant-Man 3. Rudd played coy, acknowledging the question as just a “rumor” and stopping short of saying that, yes, Murray will be in the sequel. Even so, he teased how amazing it {would} be if Murray were a part of it, noting the incredible work the actor has shown in Wes Anderson movies. As Rudd tells Entertainment Tonight:

“Oh, I’ve heard about this rumor, but it’s a rumor. I mean, I think maybe there was some cross-pollination, and they were thinking about [Ghostbusters: Afterlife]… Couldn’t he be anything [in the movie]? The guy can do everything, my God. Haven’t you seen his work with Wes Anderson? Drama.”

Last month, Bill Murray was a little more forthcoming about his Marvel role, even if he wouldn’t name the movie title specifically. From the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Murray said, “You know, recently I made a Marvel movie. I probably won’t tell you, but never mind. In any case, some people were quite surprised why I decided on such a project. But for me the thing was quite clear: I got to know the director – and really liked him very much. He was funny, humble, everything you want from a director. And with the cheerleader story Bring It On, he made a movie years ago, which I think is damn good. So I agreed, although I’m not interested in these huge comic book adaptations as an actor otherwise.”

Ant-Man 3 director Peyton Reed also helmed 2000’s Bring It On, so this was an indirect way of saying that Murray is in fact in the movie. It’s up to fans to speculate what the role he could be playing will be as Paul Rudd is clearly not giving us any hints. He’s right when he says that Murray could play a great many different roles, so it’s hard to narrow down any specific character, especially when he could always be brought in as a new character not previously established in the comic books.

“F**k that, I’m calling it now: Bill Murray is Mephisto,” theorized filmmaker and comic book enthusiast Kevin Smith on his FatMan Beyond podcast. He then laughed off that suggestion and offered the more serious guess that it would be the father of Paul Rudd’s character. This would make sense as it would allow for Murray to appear in an important role without the need to necessarily be brought in for future movies in the MCU. Murray doesn’t seem to be interested in doing any more Marvel movies after this installment.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is scheduled to be released on July 28, 2023. The first two movies are streaming on Disney+. This news comes from CBR.

Read Next

About The Author