More Marvel’s “Ant-Man” news ahead!
But first, for those who are unfamiliar with the story of Ant-Man, Scott Lang is a thief who stole the shrinking suit from the scientist Dr. Hank Pym aka the original Ant-Man. The scientist was also the culprit behind the invention of Marvel’s villain Ultron but the creator has been changed to Tony Stark instead for the Marvel cinematic universe.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, the dirt.
At the 2014 San Diego Comic Con (SDCC), Marvel Studios opened their panel by bringing the cast and crew of “Ant-Man” onstage to debut previously unconfirmed character and plot details before rolling out a teaser. Among the confirmed details, we already know that Paul Rudd will be playing Scott Lang and Michael Douglas will take on the role of Dr. Hank Pym. But they were brought to the panel anyway, marking both actors’ first time at SDCC.
When Paul Rudd was brought on stage, he said, “I’m popping my comic-con cherry. It’s a mindbender joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). I’m so honored to be a part of it. It’s really thrilling. I’ve been doing this (acting) as a job for awhile, but this is a whole other thing!”
Their nemesis, Darren Cross aka “Yellowjacket” will be played by Corey Stroll. In the comics, “Yellowjacket” is based on an alternate-identity of Hank Pym and has similar powers.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was the fact that Golden Globe-nominated Evangeline Lilly will play Michael Douglas’ daughter, Hope Pym/Van-Dyne! You may remember her for her portrayal of the willful and skilled Elfin archer Tauriel in Peter Jackson’s second instalment of The Hobbit trilogy, “The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug”.
“Ant-Man” director Peyton Reed also spoke briefly of the plot, describing it as a “heist movie”. Scattered quotes from the cast indicated that the film’s revised script (original writer/director Edgar Wright departed over creative differences) has not yet been completed. Well, we’ll just have to wait for more details to crop up!
Meanwhile, watch these videos of the “Ant-Man” cast and director together for the first time at the 2014 SDCC:
Marvel’s “Ant-Man” is expected to be released in cinemas on 17th July 2013. Click for the full lineup of Marvel movies scheduled through 2019.