Marvel Studios is notoriously protective of plot details, to the point that the stars of its films have joked about being targeted by snipers in the event they should let a spoiler slip. So, for one of the studio's executive to casually drop the name of an actor who's never been linked to, say, Avengers: Infinity War, would be a significant faux pas, and major news, right? Except that's not what happened. Probably.
In a new profile in The Hollywood Reporter, Victoria Alonso, Marvel's executive vice president of physical production, discusses her reaction to having "everybody" on the Fayetteville, Georgia, set of Infinity War. "I’m not going to lie to you, I cried," she replied. "You say to yourself, “Huh?” You have big stars talking about other big stars as in, 'Gasp, is that Michelle Pfeiffer? It is! Oh, was that so-and-so?' It’s like their little Hollywood moment, which I found lovely and endearing."
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Alonso's reference to Pfeiffer, who plays Janet van Dyne in Ant-Man and the Wasp, immediately made Marvel Cinematic Universe fans, and more than a few media outlets, take notice, as the three-time Oscar nominee has never been mentioned among the extensive cast of Infinity War. The search for her character -- the original Wasp -- who's been lost in the Quantum Realm since the 1980s, is central to the plot of the Ant-Man sequel. But that she might play a role in Infinity War would be quite the development.
But that's almost certainly not what Alonso was saying. Instead, the was likely referring specifically to Oct. 7, 2017, the day when more than 80 actors and filmmakers gathered at Pinewood Atlanta Studios, where principal photography for Infinity War and Ant-Man & The Wasp took place, for a "class photo" celebrating the 10th anniversary of the MCU. In the third row, standing between Black Panther director Ryan Coogler and Spider-Man: Homecoming executive producer Jeremy Latcham -- you guessed it! -- Michelle Pfeiffer.
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That's not necessarily to say Pfeiffer's Janet van Dyne couldn't be in Infinity War: The first trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp firmly establishes the story as taking place after the events of Captain America: Civil War, but seems to be set before the invasion by Thanos and his forces. But the point is, Alonso didn't drop that bomb.
Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Infinity War stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Tom Hiddleston, and Josh Brolin. The film arrives April 27. Ant-Man and the Wasp arrives July 6.