Last week, director Peyton Reed and stars Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas and Michael Peña sat down for the Ant-Man press conference in London. They discussed influences on the film, how Ant-Man was conceived, and future Marvel movies…
On Edgar Wright’s involvement…
Peyton Reed: I think it’s fair to say that none of us would be here, and there might not be an Ant-Man movie if it weren’t for Edgar and Joe [Cornish]. The idea to make Ant-Man a heist movie structure was all Edgar and Joe. The idea of Hank Pym and Scott Lang as mentor and pupil, again that was all their’s. I came on at the same time that Adam [McKay] and Paul [Rudd] were starting to do re-writes on the draft. There was some elements that had been in the comics but had not made their way into the script, that we wanted to bring into it.
On inspiration for their characters…
Michael Peña: As far as I know, there is no comic book called ‘Luis’. I am portraying someone that actually lives in Chicago, he may or may not be a criminal. He may or may not be in jail, I cannot say.
Paul Rudd: The idea of Scott doing everything that he does for his daughter is from the comics. That’s the imprint we used for the film. When we were working on the movie and writing the script… both Adam [McKay] and I felt that we never veered too far from something that doesn’t make sense in the Marvel universe, or something that isn’t true to the comic.
Michael Douglas: I was never a comic kid growing up. They were kind enough to send me the script of the Ant-Man along with a leather-bound copy of two years of the comics. There was more backstory for Hank Pym than any of the so-called ‘reality’ movies that I might done. So I had a pretty good blueprint to follow.
Michael Douglas on starring in a comic book movie…
Michael Douglas: I was very excited about this opportunity when they came to me because I never had really done anything in this milieu. My entire career is contemporary-based, not by choice, just by characters. All the things I’ve done in forty years, except for one, is contemporary, never did an effects movie. I was also a producer, so I was really curious about how this whole thing went together. I have tremendous respect for Peyton in keeping all these pieces together. I enjoyed the experience, and I also have a great appreciation for actors who work with green screen, because there ain’t anything there.
On genre in Ant-Man…
Peyton: I think Marvel have always done these sub-genres. I think that’s one of the things that keeps the Marvel movies so interesting. When you look at last year, Captain America: The Winter Soldier owes to a sort of 70s political thriller, a paranoia thriller. And Guardians of the Galaxy is this crazy Gonzo space opera. Our movie happens to have the structure and feel of a heist movie.
On the future of Ant-Man…
Paul: I have no idea what the future holds. I’m excited about it, I’m interested in playing this part in whatever way Marvel sees fit I suppose.
Peyton: If we’re fortunate enough to make another Ant-Man movie, I think there is a lot of story left to tell with these characters. I think there is a freedom at Marvel to kind of tonally do whatever we think is best, what serves the story best.
On filming Captain America: Civil War…
Paul: It was weird; it made this whole thing seem real in a way that it wasn’t even real for all of us. I think we were kind of shooting in a bubble when we did this [Ant-Man].
Ant-Man is released in cinemas on Friday 17th July 2015.
I Heart The Talkies 