With the recent announcement at the 2015 New York Comic Con that Marvel Studios has confirmed the Ant-Man sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, the roster for Phase III of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has not only been repurposed, but extended with three new unannounced film projects for 2020 to be released on May 1st, July 10th, and November 6th.
Naturally, there's been nothing but speculation as to the projects planned. A few theories making the rounds are, for example, the new Blade movie that's been in talks for a few months, said to feature Blade's daughter. The Blade films, centering around an underground vampire war, doesn't really seem likely to join the current slate of films since it would never work without an R rating. A more reasonable home for it would be to send it to Netflix, giving it the Daredevil and Punisher treatment. This, however, is among many theories in circulation right now, so the whole idea is still up in the air.
Bearing in mind the trends this film universe has been following, this is a list of the most plausible candidates for the unnamed projects:
5) Fantastic Four
From its very conception, everyone was pretty sure the new Fantastic Four reboot would be a bomb, including 20th Century Fox having released a statement a mere week before the release of the first trailer, stating the project was a "mess" and reshoots were imminent. Luckily, the actual film wasn't technically a disappointment from the fans' perspective considering everyone's already rock bottom expectations, but you can't ignore the commercial disappointment, reeling in just shy of $165 million against its $200 million budget.
When two out of the three films of the franchise released are totally unwatchable, its time to consider giving it a better, more nurturing home. As unlikely as it may be with rumors of a sequel in the works, fans are already clamoring for Fox to work with Disney, and negotiate a similar deal to the one with Sony for the shared rights to the Spider-Man franchise. There seems to be a trend towards the end of Phase III of cosmic based films, in conjunction with Avengers: Infinity War- Parts I & II. The Fantastic Four have not only a cosmic origin, but most of their adventures are space based, so keeping it in that same vain would be the perfect fit to herald in Phase IV.
4) The Incredible Hulk 2
2008's The Incredible Hulk is the only Phase I film that hasn't had a sequel. While the Green Goliath's best incarnations have been in the context of an ensemble cast with both Avengers films, the recasting of Bruce Banner from Edward Norton to Mark Ruffalo has left many fans scratching their heads as to why he hasn't been given the chance at his own solo film. The popular solution most fans have asked for is the adaptation of arguably one of the best Hulk storylines, Planet Hulk. It would be the opportunity to take the Hulk out of the mainstream comfort zone of smashing cities and being a monster, to a John Carter-esue landscape where he's praised and revered as a warrior.
Marvel Studios producer, Kevin Feige, has given the impression in past interviews that Planet Hulk doesn't seem likely. However, another Earth based, Hulk vs the military film could still work, provided a fresher concept is incorporated. The best proposal for a story that's relatively popular and still fresh in people's minds is the Red Hulk. Staying in continuity of the first Hulk film, it would bring the return of Liv Tyler as Betty Ross, Tim Roth as Emil Blonksy/Abomination, and of course, William Hurt as General Ross. As long as the major plotpoints stay intact, (SPOILERS!) it would mean the reveal of General Ross as Red Hulk, resulting in an epic showdown with Team Hulk consisting of Hulk, Abomination, and a cameo by the mighty Thor! Not to divulge an entire screenplay, but this version would be a high-octane, "no-holds-barred" thrillride with epic Hulk fights and adrenaline fueled action!
3) Captain America: Redemption
The savvier comic book fans may have noticed a great deal of foreshadowing in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, notably with Winter Soldier aka Bucky wielding Cap's shield on at least three occasions. This was not by coincidence and was in fact alluding to (SPOILERS!) Bucky Barnes taking over as Captain America after he supposedly assassinates Steve Rogers on the steps of the Supreme Court, ending the Civil War. While in the comics, Bucky knew it was all a ruse and that Steve was not actually dead, a great turn of the story could give us something we haven't seen. Its possible to go with a darker, more tortured Bucky, under the impression he did kill his best friend. It could then come to light that Nick Fury and Cap were behind it, and needed to manipulate Bucky into leading the new Avengers out of remorse, allowing Cap to retire and go into hiding after the events of the Civil War. Keeping in mind there haven't been any announcements for the Captain America story going past a trilogy, its reasonable to assume that any more films would likely feature a new Cap, opening the doors for a whole new series with a brand new Sentinel of Liberty.
2) Doctor Strange 2
Everyone, including Marvel Studios, has very high hopes for the forthcoming Doctor Strange movie. Ever since the success of Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man, it seems like both mainstream audiences and hardcore comic fans alike are becoming more open to the possibility of new stories to get behind. Marvel Studios has established itself as an absolute money machine, having the uncanny talent to pull Marvel titles form obscurity, and creating whole new franchises overnight. With Phase III already slated with the sequels for the aforementioned films, its more than likely a Doctor Strange sequel can't be far behind, especially considering the struggle it was to find an actor willing to play the legendary Sorcerer Supreme. After all the A-listers considered, Benedict Cumberpatch was the only one who was willing to negotiate for a muti-film deal, so its safe to assume the plan is to utilize that idea and make more.
1) Untitled Spider-Man sequel
After the lengthy legal battle between Disney and Sony, the atmosphere has been buzzing with the news of the currently untitled Spider-Man movie going into production. The MCU Spider-Man is scheduled to make his first appearance in next year's Captain America: Civil War, which negates the necessity to reboot the same origin story we've already had twice. There's still no word as to who will be the supporting cast in the 2017 solo film opposite Tom Holland's Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Marisa Tomei's Aunt May, but rumors have circulated around actors such as Jason Biggs, Billy Zane, Miranda Cosgrove, Hugh Laurie, and Forest Whitaker, as well as a possible cameo from Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man.
Its almost certain this new Spider-Man will breathe new life into the franchise, so the likeliest film to be considered for one of the three 2020 mystery slots is its sequel. Before the Disney/Sony negotiation, there was an idea on the table for a Sinister Six story that may get picked up if a workable idea is possible. However, with the cosmic angle of this universe having already been established, the sequel could feature the overall fan favorite storyline, Symbiote Spider-Man. While there may be some hesitation to try it considering the absolute injustice against that plot brought on by Spider-Man 3, a fresh take could engender a whole new chapter in our new Spider-Man's saga, ultimately leading to the stories we thought we'd never see (Clone Saga, Mulitverse, etc.), coming to fruition in Phase IV. All in all , after the painstaking struggle it was just to get the shared film rights in the first place, Marvel Studios might be planning as many Spider-Man titles as possible over the coming years.
