Ant-Man director Peyton Reed wants to make Wasp solo film starring Evangeline Lilly

Reed said it was exciting to 'have a hand in creating' Lilly's 'strong female character' Hope van Dyne in Ant-Man - and would like to do more with her

Evangeline Lilly stars as Hope van Dyne in Ant-Man (Disney/Marvel)

The lack of major female characters has been one of the biggest criticisms levelled at Marvel Studios, which has failed to cast a single actress in a leading role in its past 12 films.

But Ant-Man director Peyton Reed has said he would like to direct a movie based around Wasp - Janet van Dyne, the wife of previous Ant-Man Hank Pym - providing the film studio with the perfect scope to bring women into the central frame of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The director told The Independent a Wasp solo film would be "fantastic", saying Evangeline Lilly's character Hope van Dyne - the daughter of Janet and Hank - would be ideal to take on her mother's mantle.

“Evangeline is fantastic in this movie, and the arc really is just her trying to find reconciliation with her father and coming into her own," he said.

Ant-Man director Peyton Reed (Getty Images)

“We leave the movie really hoping to see what the next chapter will be for her, and that’s exciting to me, to have had a hand in creating this strong female character. So yeah, [a Wasp solo movie] would be great.”

Reed also spoke about the possibility of doing a period piece - acting as an Ant-Man prequel - featuring both Pym and Janet van Dyne.

Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas as Scott Lang and Hank Pym in Ant-Man (Marvel)

While he thought it would be “cool to do”, he said there are currently “no concrete plans” to make this happen.

When asked if he believed the “superhero movie bubble” could eventually pop, the Yes Man director said: "The bubble will burst if the movies start sucking, when audiences get bored. That’s when it will stop, until someone comes and re-invents it again.”

Ant-Man is the final film in Marvel's "Phase Two" series, which started with Iron Man 3 and included this year's Avengers: Age Of Ultron.

The movie also stars Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Michael Douglas as Hank Pym and Corey Stoll as Darren “Yellowjacket” Cross.

Directed by Peyton Reed and produced by Kevin Feige, Ant-Man is released in UK cinemas on 17 July 2015.

Read more: The rise of cinema's shared universes
Jessica Chastain demands Scarlett Johansson front a Marvel superhero movie