'Game of Thrones' author George R. R. Martin liked 'Ant-Man' so much he blogged about it
While this in and of itself might not be news per se, it's worth noting that Martin has some very cogent thoughts on what makes Ant-Man such a special character in the Marvel Universe, and why it's such a shame that The Wasp doesn't have a prominent role in the film:
"I loved his [Ant-Man's] partnership with the Wasp. At a time when every other comic was playing the endless "romantic tension" card, or the older and hoarier "I must hide my secret from my girlfriend" trope, here was a man and a woman who adventured together, who loved each other without question, who even helped found the Avengers together... that was revolutionary in the early 1960s, like much of what Stan Lee did... (and sad to say, it would even be sort of revolutionary today)."
He also brings up an oft-repeated criticism of Marvel movies: They have a villain problem. Martin's take, however, is a bit different than most - he's just tired of all the villains that have the same powers as the heroes.
I am tired of this Marvel movie trope where the bad guy has the same powers as the hero. The Hulk fought the Abomination, who is just a bad Hulk. Spider-Man fights Venom, who is just a bad Spider-Man. Iron Man fights Ironmonger, a bad Iron Man. Yawn. I want more films where the hero and the villain have wildly different powers. That makes the action much more interesting
This is a really good point! Change things up some more, Marvel.
While no one knows when "The Winds of Winter" will come out, the next George R. R. Martin appearance will be at a baseball game in Staten Island, New York - where two local baseball teams will change their names for one day only to become the Staten Island Direwolves and the Hudson Valley Lannisters.
Martin also mentions a meeting with his publisher so who knows, maybe we will get some news about that book soon after.
Don't count on it, though.