Ant-Man,

The Ant-Man team talk about making Ant-Man, Edgar Wright's contribution, creating the characters of Ant-Man the possible the future of Ant-Man and also mention Captain America: Civil War and director Peyton reed talks Marvel sub genres and his favourite Ant-Man stories with us.

Thursday, August 06, 2015 Craig Grobler 0 Comments

Ant-Man European Press ConferenceMarvel's latest big screen Summer blockbuster Ant-Man is still winning over audiences in the UK cinemas and is currently riding high in the UK box office but a couple of weeks ago I was fortunate to attend the European press conference for the release of Marvel's Ant-Man and had the opportunity to ask the lead cast as well as director Peyton Reed some burning questions about Ant-Man as well as hear some interesting bits from the Ant-Man team.

The Ant-Man European Press Conference was a grand affair held at London's Corinthia Hotel and in contrast to the small theme of Ant-Man it was rather big. Attending the press conference were most of Ant-Man's lead cast; Scott Lang / Ant-Man himself Paul Rudd, Mr. Michael Douglas who plays Dr. Hank Pym and Michael Peña who takes the role of a close associate of Scott Lang, Luis. The chat was moderated by the people's champion and all round film buff Empire's Chris Hewitt.

Further below I have outlined some of the interesting bits from the conference, which sadly does not convey the camaraderie, humour or quick fire wit on display on the day, so I will add videos from the conference as soon as they are uploaded.

I guess I should frame Ant-Man a little. Boom tish! Ant-Man is a lot of fun with big laughs but it wasn't my favourite Marvel film. I think, whilst different elements will most certainly engage and  entertain different audience segments - so everyone will have some fun. I did however feel it was largely aimed at a much younger audience than myself. Much of the film whilst fun while it happens on screen was instantly forgettable for me, with novelty and conventionality overriding depth or meaning and the film feels a little piecemeal to me. But there is a story in there that has the hallmarks of Marvel's sparkling ingenuity.

Marvel's Ant-Man Poster
Marvel's Ant-Man Poster (ZOOM)

Having said that - I felt exactly the same way whilst watching Guardians of the Galaxy a lot of fun but before the end of the film most of it was lost in a swirl of spectacle and explosions. Bear in mind Guardians of the Galaxy was a mega success across the board so if you enjoyed it - you'll enjoy Ant-Man. Also Probably worth bearing in mind that within the Guardians of the Galaxy comics story arc the film covers the start and in my opinion the weakest part of the larger story, it gets a lot better.

I thought I was able to easily manage my expectations of Ant-Man the film mainly as I was not really a reader of the Scott Lang era The Astonishing Ant-Man comics. But I am a huge *fan*, which is possibly not the right word if you know Hank Pym's turbulent history, let's say, I am very fascinated by Henry or Hank Pym as he is most well known. Along with many other wonderful characters he was a small part of my childhood and there is no doubt that he is certainly one of the most complex characters in the Marvel Universe.

In that regard many may acclaim and hold Alan Moore's The Watchmen as the tipping point in mainstream comics where it become acceptable for the good guys to also be afflicted by personal adult issues - but Hank Pym was there first. And I was really hoping that some of that came through into the Ant-Man.

My introduction to Hank Pym was in what I thought would be a quirky once off story, that became an ongoing strip in Tales to Astonish, the same title that later brought us the return of The Incredible Hulk and Namor the Sub-Mariner. And Hank Pym's adventures were of the weird, wonderful, astounding and unexpected kind. Along with his partner The Wasp they kicked ass and scienced their way out of some tricky situations.

Their adventures were always steeped in Science Fiction and in this respect the Ant-Man film plot does indeed capture the essence of those early comics.

Before seeing the film my approach was that - even if Hank Pym's presence isn't the focus it's OK after all it doesn't really matter who wears the suit it's a symbol – as long as someone is wearing it.

But after leaving the cinema I felt more strongly about the whole - anyone can wear the suit thing. For me in Ant-Man's case it really is the man in the suit that matters which made me remember why I wasn't that interested in the Scott Lang era Ant-Man comics.

Hank Pym was a brilliant man who built something and because of events in his life wanted to do good, sadly tragedy and fragmentation follows him. I was hoping that this would come through in the film. A little bit of it does but not enough - and this is all the more frustrating as director Peyton Reed made it clear that this element of Ant-Man is something that he was interested in as well. If you read on further below Reed makes it clear that if all the stars align and Ant-Man returns in a sequel the door may be open to expanding on Hank Pym's story and character. If so and all the signs are correct I'm guessing that we can expect some early Ant-Man with enough political intrigue and action to rival the brilliant X-Men: First Class/X-Men: Days of Future Past.


... Also it wasn't lost on me that Hank Pym in the comics is such a complicated character and we had a very complicated man playing that character, we had Michael that has an amazing career playing characters with a lot of grey area, and really we just wanted to deepen that character.- Ant-Man Director, Peyton Reed


There is poetry in the tale of an ordinary man whose problems seem to big and insurmountable that sometimes putting on a suit that makes you small is the only way to overcome them.  But Scott Lang comes across as just another victim of circumstance thrust by others into doing what he does, he doesn't seem to be a man of conviction, whilst occasionally cracking a joke. For me the hero by chance thing really doesn't work and I think may be the reason I wasn't so taken with the Scott Lang's Ant-Man comics in the first place. Even the new, new Irredeemable Ant-Man Eric O'Grady who is a plain old bad egg has a fantastic universe and characters around him-  making him entertaining.

Again this may all be a non issue for anyone who has not read a Hank Pym comic and will be swept away with the new Ant-Man.

I was fortunate to get an early look at some Ant-Man footage a while back and really enjoyed what I saw, granted the cuts I saw were all about the action which is something that Ant-Man does really well. However I did struggle with some of the characters motivations, rational and actions. The performers really aren't given enough time or substance to bring weight to their larger than life personalities. In previous Marvel films sleight of hand and dazzling us with something of a greater distraction minimised the effect these holes but not so much with Ant-Man.

     The Establishing Shot: MARVEL'S ANT-MAN FINAL TRAILER - 17 JULY 15

Another highlight of the film I must mention is the introduction of the Quantum Universe or the Microverse as I know it - anyone who loves Science Fiction will be mesmerised or at least smitten by these scenes but – why, oh why were they so short?

Also it would have been absolutely brilliant if The Micronauts (The Avengers of the Microverse) made an appearance in the Quantum Universe. There is more than enough reason for another visit to the Quantum Universe but either spotting The Micronauts or even having them help Scott would have blown the bloody doors of the cinema and I would have tried to book my seat for Ant-Man 2 then and there. Or dare I say it? How awesome would would it have been if Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange was involved in Scott's return?

I was fortunate to get an early look at some Ant-Man footage a while back which I loved, granted what I saw was all about the action and that is something that Ant-Man does really well. But  I did struggle with some of the characters motivations, dialogue and rationale, the performers really aren't given enough time or substance to bring weight to their larger than life personalities. In this respect it is worth reading further below to hear the cast talk about how they built their character's personalities.

Before we get to the good stuff further below I should mention the story of Marvel's Ant-Man does not start with the cinematic release - there are in fact two tiny sets of prequel comics that set events in the film up.

The first is Ant-Man Prelude a little two parter that introduces Cold War era Hank Pym to us and his first mission, in which he dons the Ant-Man suit and heads to Berlin, this mission is referenced a number of times in the opening scene of Ant-Man in the explosive discussion between; Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), Howard Stark (John Slattery), Martin Donovan (Mitchell Carson) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) which takes place at S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters. Ant-Man Prelude also introduces another mysterious character who will presumably play a bigger role in Ant-Man's story when they return, whether they are friend or foe is anyone's guess at the moment.

The second is a smaller story: Ant-Man Scott Lang Small Time which brings us to contemporary times and tells the story of how the Robin Hood like Scott Lang gets a little to carried away and ends up in San Quentin prison about to have his skull cracked which is where Scott Lang's cinematic adventure starts.

THE ESTABLISHING SHOT: MARVEL'S ANT-MAN UK TRAILER - 17 JULY 15

Enough waffling, here is the good stuff - The key questions I had lined up to gain some insight into Ant-Man's background were:
  • Where is Evangeline Lilly?
  • What was important to convey or bring to life with Ant-Man?
  • How did Paul Rudd get involved in Ant-Man and what drew him to the project. Leading into could he tell us a little bit about the early production history of Ant-Man?
  • Can you tell us a little bit about Edgar Wright's involvement in Ant-Man and did you guys collaborate at all after he moved on?
  • What drew Peyton Reed to the story of Ant-Man?
  • What happened with Peyton Reed's involvement in the Fantastic Four?
  • Henry or Hank Pym as he is now known has a complicated history with dark periods. I am curious about why that was not brought to the fore, he seemed to be more of a conventional character can you tell us a little bit about your thinking behind that?
  • Can you tell us a little bit about how Ant-Man fits into the Marvel Universe moving forward?
  • Can reed tell your favourite comics or favourite comic stories?

The Establishing Shot: ANT-MAN TEAM LOOKING FOR ME @ THE ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE - CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON

Our movie happens to have the structure and feel of a heist movie and I think that’s one of the things that Marvel’s really done well. Sometimes you’ll talk to Kevin Feige and he’s like, we don’t make superhero movies, we make genre movies. And I think that’s been a very smart thing.” - Peyton Reed


Sadly many of the burning questions I was hoping to get some insight into were not addressed, specifically what drew: Peyton Reed and Paul Rudd to Ant-Man and a frank discussion on the early production history and decisions which lead to the film we now have.

Fortunately I was spared some of the onus when the very first question from the floor addressed the Edgar Wright question.Other topics we managed to touch on at a high level included;
  • Paul Rudd on the pressure of Ant-Man leading into a new era in Marvel films
  • Peyton Reed on Edgar Wright's part in bringing Ant-Man to life
  • Michael Peña, Paul Rudd & Michael Douglas discuss the influences on their roles in Ant-Man
  • Paul Rudd on creating Scott Lang aka Ant-Man
  • Michael Douglas, Paul Rudd & Michael Peña discuss comics and their early cultural influences
  • Paul Rudd on getting into shape for the role of Ant-Man
  • Peyton Reed discusses whether the sub genre heist element of Ant-Man signals a change in the direction in Marvel films
  • Michael Douglas on the experience of making Ant-Man
  • Peyton Reed addresses the tone of Ant-Man
  • Michael Douglas & Michael Peña on the possibility of wearing the Ant-Man suit in an upcoming Marvel film
  • An acknowledgement of Evangeline Lily's absence
  • Peyton Reed further hints at possible elements that might be explored in Ant-Man 2 and confirms Paul Rudd will appear as Ant-Man in Marvel's upcoming Captain America: Civil War
  • Paul Rudd on his participation in Captain America: Civil War

The Establishing Shot: MARVEL'S ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE PART 1


PAUL RUDD ON THE PRESSURE OF ANT-MAN LEADING INTO A NEW ERA IN MARVEL FILMS
As we reach the end of the first iteration of Marvel heroes in the next couple of years, does that add an element of pressure to you going in as one of the newer breed of heroes?

The Establishing Shot: PAUL RUDD TALKS CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR - ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE - CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON

Paul Rudd: I don’t really think in those terms. There’s only external pressure that you can feel if you think about it for five minutes. I just worry about what I’m dealing with in the moment. I want to try and be believable in this part, focus on this. 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. But I don’t think in those terms really.

Michael Peña: I think he was one of the founding member of The Avengers! Wasn't he? ...(lots of laughter)... it's no big deal. Walk it off, bro. Walk it off. ...(more laughter)...

The Establishing Shot: MARVEL'S ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE PART 2

PEYTON REED ON EDGAR WRIGHT'S PART IN BRINGING ANT-MAN TO LIFE
A question for Paul and Peyton, Ant-Man has had quite a protracted production history with Edgar Wright being involved, I really liked the film and I was wondering if you could talk a bit about the changes you made to the Edgar Wright version as he retains a screenwriters credit along with Joe Cornish?

The Establishing Shot: PEYTON REED TALKS EDGAR WRIGHT'S CONTRIBUTION TO ANT-MAN @ THE ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE - CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON

Peyton Reed: Yea, I'll definitely start by saying that - I think it's fair to say none of us would be here, and there might not have been an Ant-Man movie if it wasn't for Edgar and Joe - that should absolutely be said.

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 idea was all theirs, also the idea of a movie that all drives towards a third act where the big battle between the good guys and bad guys takes place in a little girl's bedroom – that was always there from the beginning and I stand by the fact that I think that is genius. I love it.

The Establishing Shot: MARVEL'S ANT-MAN "THE HEIST" CLIP - 17 AUGUST 2015

I really came on at the same time that Adam (screenwriter Adam McKay) and Paul were starting to do rewrites on the draft and really it was sort of taking what already existed.

Adam and I bonded over the fact that we were both kids that grew up reading those comics, I probably spent untold hours alone in my bedroom reading comic books. And the same for Adam. So there were some elements that had been in the comics that had not make their way into the script that we wanted to bring into it.

And I think we wanted to take that heist motif and add more of the heist movie visual language.

Also it wasn't lost on me that Hank Pym in the comics is such a complicated character and we had a very complicated man playing that character, we had Michael that has an amazing career playing characters with a lot of grey area, and really we just wanted to deepen that character.

An idea that always appealed to me from the beginning was that at the centre of this movie are two fathers and two daughters and there was a lot of emotionality that could be mined.

Adam and Paul worked incredibly hard on doing re-writes and when we were in production Paul continued to work with our production writers; Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari – so really it was an evolution but you know I have to say that I think the spirit of what Edgar and Joe created in the beginning is still very much a part of the DNA of Ant-Man.


The Establishing Shot: MICHAEL DOUGLAS - ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE - CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON

MICHAEL PEÑA, PAUL RUDD & MICHAEL DOUGLAS DISCUSS THE INFLUENCES ON THEIR ROLES IN ANT-MAN
When creating the personalities for the characters of Ant-Man - how much inspiration did you draw from the comics, if not from the comics, where else did you find inspiration for the personalities?


MICHAEL PEÑA ON CREATING LUIS
Michael Peña: There’s no comic book that I know about my character Luis. So I based him on someone that actually lives in Chicago - who may or may not be a criminal - he may or may not be in jail. I cannot say. But his name is Pablo. And, actually, I have a little video.

Paul Rudd: He may or may not have introduced himself to me at the premiere as your brother, right?

Michael Peña: I can't believe that. No, he’s not my brother. No, but this guy, I think is just funny…

At this point Michael Peña pulls out his phone and shows us and the Ant-Man team a video of Pablo, who sounds exactly like Peña's Ant-Man character Luis, talking about something we couldn't quite hear.


The Establishing Shot: MICHAEL PEÑA TALKS CREATING HIS CHARACTER LUIS @ THE ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE - CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON

… In the video he’s complaining but he’s still totally smiling.

A couple of times Peyton said something to the effect of ‘I think you’re going a little bit too much…’ but I said no, I think it’s because he sounds like such a caricature.

     VIDEO: MARVEL'S ANT-MAN - "WE JUST ROBBED YOU" CLIP | HD

Peyton Reed: That was key to your character, from the very first time we see Luis, some bad stuff has happened to him in his life. Obviously he’s been in prison, his girlfriend’s left him, his mother died, his father’s been deported but he’s still so positive.

Michael Peña: But I got the van. ...(laughter) …

Paul Rudd: It’s a nice van. ...(laughter) …

Peyton Reed: That’s such a rootable quality in a character, someone who in the face of all this adversity is so positive. And I think that’s something that throughout the course of making the movie we developed because Peña was so good, funny and involved.

Michael Peña: You literally can’t make this guy up. I remember maybe five years ago, I saw him and I was like “Hey, what did you do this weekend?” and he was like “Oh I went to jail dog.” Who does that?


The Establishing Shot: PAUL RUDD TALKS CREATING SCOTT LANG AKA ANT-MAN'S CHARACTER @ THE ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE - CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON

PAUL RUDD ON CREATING SCOTT LANG AKA ANT-MAN
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. That said when we were working on the movie and writing the script and all that we were kind of thinking of it as its own thing. I think both Adam and I felt like if we ever veered too far from something that doesn’t make sense in the Marvel Universe or something that isn’t true to the comic, or true to these characters that had been created, that they would rein us back in.

     Video: Ant-Man - Hang Tight clip | HD


The Establishing Shot: MICHAEL DOUGLAS TALKS CREATING HANK PYM'S CHARACTER @ THE ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE - CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON

MICHAEL DOUGLAS ON CREATING HANK PYM
Michael Douglas: Well I was not a comic guy, or kid, growing up. So I didn’t know anything about this world. They were kind enough to send me the script of Ant-Man along with a leather-bound copy of two years of Ant-Man comics which I could digest.

So we talked two dimensionally about superhero movies when in reality I was looking through these comics and my goodness here is - Hank Pym: a very brilliant scientist, a warrior, who created this incredible factory and the Pym Foundation and Technologies, all of that.

He was very involved with his wife and lost her - there was more back story for Hank Pym than any of the so called reality movies I might have done so I had a pretty good blueprint to follow.

The Establishing Shot: MICHAEL PEÑA - ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE - CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON

MICHAEL DOUGLAS, PAUL RUDD & MICHAEL PEÑA DISCUSS COMICS AND THEIR early CULTURAL INFLUENCES
Had you read many comics in your childhood? Was there anything you especially read when you were young?

Michael Douglas: I guess I was at the cusp of the television audience so I did not go into my room to read comics. I watched shows like; The Lone Ranger, I watched Hopalong Cassidy, I watched Howdy Doody. I was a black and white television fiend back then growing up. That’s how I remember most of that

Other than that the books I read were more like Treasure Island and Tom Sawyer and those types.

Paul Rudd: I had some comics but I was a casual reader. There was a while I was kind of into The Hulk. I read some of the superhero comics and some of the Marvel comics. I read more English comics actually. My Aunt and Uncle would send me these comics from here called Beano and The Dandy and I grew up with those characters. I was into Roger the Dodger and stuff like that. ...(laughter) … So I probably read more of those than Marvel comics, and also Archie.

Michael Peña: I didn’t really read comics. I grew up, like poor...

Michael Douglas: The question is, did you grow up?

... did I grow up? No, sir. [Laughter] my kid’s going to be seven years old, and I started reading comics to him when he was one, not anything like, The Punisher ...(laughter)...but they have it on a really good gradient with really kid friendly stories. Now I’m still reading to him and he knows everything about the Marvel world and before I left to go do Ant-Man he just said: “Dada, don’t mess it up.”...(laughter)... Thanks kid.

The Establishing Shot: MARVEL'S ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE PART 4


PAUL RUDD ON GETTING INTO SHAPE FOR THE ROLE OF ANT-MAN
I was wondering if you could tell us about the physical aspects of the role and how long you had to prepare and what you went through to get into such good shape for playing Ant-Man?

The Establishing Shot: PAUL RUDD TALKS GETTING INTO SHAPE FOR ANT-MAN @ THE ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE - CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON

Michael Peña: Just to be clear - you’re asking about his abs. ...(laughter)...

Paul Rudd: I didn’t do anything fun for a year. ...(laughter)... I ate no carbs. Or sugar. I basically made health and fitness the focus of my day - for a long time. I would work out with a trainer, I worked with a guy that was teaching me tumbling, and how to do flips, and things like that. I was eating a lot of protein and vegetables and I was eating at very specific times of the day. I didn’t drink any alcohol. And I was miserable to be around for about a year. ...(laughter)...

No, I liked it. Actually I found that I enjoyed having the focus. I knew I was going to have to be held accountable so that made it a little easier but I had never done anything like that before to that extreme and having the majority of my day built around that instead of making fitness something I try and work in on the side while I went about my day was really kind of great. I woke up very early in the morning, I felt really good, I had lots of energy. It helped me also just get in the mindset of this character, I figured if I’m in really good shape I would feel like less of an impostor in the role.

Peyton Reed: Paul, would you take your shirt off for us here today? Who wants to see that? ...(laughter)...


PEYTON REED DISCUSSES WHETHER THE SUB GENRE HEIST ELEMENT OF ANT-MAN SIGNALS A CHANGE IN THE DIRECTION IN MARVEL FILMS
Does your Ant-Man, which is in essence a heist movie signal the start of a trend in the Marvel Universe going forward to more of a sub-genre style of film?

The Establishing Shot: PEYTON REED TALKS MARVEL SUB GENRES @ THE ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE - CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON

Peyton Reed: I don’t know if this signals a change in Marvel. I think they’ve always done these sorts of sub genre films and I think that’s one of the things that keeps the Marvel movies so interesting.

If you look at last year Captain America: The Winter Soldier owes to 70s political paranoia thrillers and Guardians of the Galaxy which came out the same year, is this crazy gonzo space opera.

Our movie happens to have the structure and feel of a heist movie and I think that’s one of the things that Marvel’s really done well. Sometimes you’ll talk to Kevin Feige and he’s like, we don’t make superhero movies, we make genre movies. And I think that’s been a very smart thing.

The Establishing Shot: MARVEL'S ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE PART 3


MICHAEL DOUGLAS ON THE EXPERIENCE OF MAKING ANT-MAN
Michael, what was your experience making a movie with such a technical side to it and what was your impression after you had finished?

Michael Douglas: I was very excited about this opportunity when they came to me because I had never done anything in this milieu. Almost my entire career is contemporary based - not by purpose, I guess I am just about characters.

All the movies I have done, except one in the last forty years has been contemporary, I have never done an effects movie. I am also a producer so I was really curious about how this whole thing went together and have tremendous respect for Peyton in keeping all these pieces together.

While we were filming all together as actors, there were some other units doing special effects, there were stunts, and there were also just people doing ant point of view shots. Which turned out pretty phenomenal in the picture.

The Establishing Shot: MICHAEL DOUGLAS TALKS THE EXPERIENCE OF MAKING ANT-MAN @ THE ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE - CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON

To be able to juggle all of those pieces and bring them together was quite impressive. So I enjoyed the experience.

I also have a greater appreciation for actors who work with green screen because there ain’t anything there. Talk about having to play make believe.

Again Peyton was very good in terms of showing you what it would look like, so you got a sense if you were over-acting, and that all of it would be in place.

Paul was an anchor for the entire picture. He maintained and was as steady as can be, always making all the other actors around him welcome and he gave himself a lot of good lines ...(laughter) … but he’s entitled to that!

Paul Rudd: I never really thought about that until you said it! Did I!? I didn’t mean to! Thank you Michael.

     Video: Marvel's Ant-Man 'Trial by Fire' clip | HD


PEYTON REED ADDRESSES THE TONE OF ANT-MAN
The Marvel movies always have quite a light touch to them, but Ant-Man in particular is extremely funny. Is this something you guys are going to continue with moving forward? Is Ant-Man going to stay lighter, or are you going to go darker maybe?

The Establishing Shot: PEYTON REED ADDRESSES THE TONE OF ANT-MAN @ THE ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE - CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON

Peyton Reed: I’m hoping that audiences will respond to this movie, and if we’re fortunate enough to be able to make another Ant-Man movie. I think there’s a lot of story left to tell with these characters and I think there’s also a freedom at Marvel, to kind of tonally do whatever we think is best, what serves the story best. So this one happens to be a highly comedic heist movie in terms of its structure and tone.

I think there’s a portion of Ant-Man that will always have a comedic component to it. But I like the idea that we could invent an entirely different field for a sequel if we’re fortunate enough to be able to do one.

Paul Rudd: Ant-Man 2 will be like a Bergman film. Very quiet. Very serious.

Peyton Reed: We’re going to do it in black and white and shoot in in Sweden. It’s going to be all about God’s silence.


PEYTON REED TELLS us SOME OF HIS FAVOURITE ANT-MAN STORYLINES & HINTS AT A POSSIBLE ELEMENTS THAT COULD BE INCLUDED IN ANT-MAN 2
The Establishing Shot: Earlier you mentioned your love of comics, can you tell us some of your favourite stories?

Peyton Reed: I always loved the original Hank Pym, right around ’62 and on up the original Avengers comics. I loved the relationship between Hank and Janet the fact that they were an amazing superhero duo, but also the romance between those two characters was always fascinating.

The Establishing Shot: DIRECTOR PEYTON REED TALKS HIS FAVOURITE ANT-MAN COMICS @ THE ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE - CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON

Then also the fact that Hank Pym there’s a little bit of schizophrenia and maybe a little bit of an inferiority complex, because in The Avengers he was fighting alongside Thor and Hulk and he always felt inadequate and as we know in the comics he changed his identity a lot and I always found that fascinating. So those early years were great to me.


MICHAEL DOUGLAS & MICHAEL PEÑA ON THE POSSIBILITY OF WEARING THE ANT-MAN SUIT IN AN UPCOMING MARVEL FILM
Both Michaels, neither of you get to wear the Ant-Man suit in this movie. So next time, maybe?

The Establishing Shot: MARVEL'S ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE PART 5


MICHAEL DOUGLAS ON THE POSSIBILITY OF HANK PYM SUITING UP IN AN ANT-MAN SEQUEL

Michael Douglas: Well, who’s to say I wasn’t wearing the Ant-Man suit? I saw myself coming in on a missile, heading right for a big city, so I could easily have been in there. Maybe it was a blur because it was coming so fast.

The Establishing Shot: MICHAEL DOUGLAS TALKS THE MAGIC OF CGI & ROMANCING THE STONE PREQUELS @ THE ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE - CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON

Listen after seeing myself CGI’ed in the beginning of the movie, looking thirty years younger, which was incredible – in one of the scenes from the beginning of the film. I had these little dots all over my face and we were looping lines - Peyton said, “you’ll get a kick out of this” because they’d completed half of it so I’m looking at it and halfway through the scene, it disappeared and there I was like thirty years ago. Oh man. Romancing the Stone....(laughter)...

Paul Rudd: By the way I watched that, two days ago it was on TV. “Oh my gosh this is great!”. So cool to see that again.

The Establishing Shot: MARVEL'S ANT-MAN "YOU'RE A BULLET" CLIP - 17 AUGUST 2015

MICHAEL PEÑA ON THE POSSIBILITY OF LUIS SUITING UP IN AN ANT-MAN SEQUEL

Michael Peña: Ahhhh man! Sorry I didn't hear the question. I really thought it was for Paul, I wasn’t paying attention. ...(laughter)...

The Establishing Shot: MICHAEL PEÑA DID NOT HEAR THE QUESTION @ THE ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE - CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON

It would be great to wear that suit, probably not right after Paul. ...(laughter)...


AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF EVANGELINE LILY'S ABSENCE

The Establishing Shot: GENTLEMAN MICHAEL DOUGLAS EVANGELINE LILY'S ABSENCE @ THE ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE - CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON

Michael Douglas: In acknowledgement of Evangeline Lily, who’s not with us today as she is 8 months preggers. For those of you who stayed till the very end of the credits, I thought there was a little taste of what might be coming.

The Establishing Shot: MARVEL'S ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE PART 6


PEYTON REED FURTHER HINTS AT POSSIBLE ELEMENTS THAT MIGHT BE EXPLORED IN ANT-MAN 2 AND CONFIRMS PAUL RUDD WILL APPEAR AS ANT-MAN IN MARVEL'S UPCOMING CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR
The Ant-Man comics are very rich and if there was an Ant-Man 2 what themes you’d like to further explore and where would you like to take your specific characters?

Michael Peña: Ah man! I really thought the question was for Paul. I wasn’t paying attention. ...(laughter)... I personally would like, of course, if you’re in a Marvel movie you wanna be some kind of superhero, but who knows it’s all up to Marvel.

The Establishing Shot: PEYTON REED - ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE - CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON

Paul Rudd: Yeah I don’t know. I’ve had thoughts of where it could go, things that might happen. But it’s so embryonic and I’ve had no conversations with anybody about it. I don’t know. But like Peyton said I’d be thrilled to get the opportunity to start exploring some of that.

Michael Douglas: I have no comment. I don’t know anything. I signed on for this one. I don't know anything past this.

Peyton Reed: I think we get to the end of this movie and there are lot of questions about what may or may not happen to these characters. In terms of Scott Lang, he’s become Ant-Man for the purposes of this heist, but what next? There are definitely some hints in the movie and we also know that Paul is going to appear as Scott Lang in Captain America: Civil War - which is very exciting. And if you could have heard Paul’s voice when he finished his first day of shooting on the movie. You were very excited!

The Establishing Shot: PAUL RUDD TALKS CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR @ THE ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE - CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON

Paul Rudd: I was, well I saw Iron Man in person. ...(laughter)... And Captain America. It was weird, it made this whole thing seem real in a way it wasn’t even real for all of us. I think we were kinda shooting in a bubble when we did this and then it’s like “Oh my God! I’ve seen all of them in the movies”.

Peyton Reed: Also, I’ll speak for Evangeline who’s not here, but Hope’s arc in this movie is every bit as important as Scott’s. Towards the end of the movie she’s going to finally have a chance to be a hero as well. And I think that’s exciting to imagine what might happen with her.

As far as Hank Pym, given the things that happen in this movie, he’d been obsessed in the past with exploring the quantum realm and trying to figure out if he could save his wife and wasn’t able to, but there’s that happen at the end of the movie that might reignite that obsession and it remains to be seen if that’s a good thing, or a bad thing, who knows...

Michael Douglas: I think that’s a good thing. ...(laughter)...

The Establishing Shot: MICHAEL DOUGLAS JOKING WITH DIRECTOR PEYTON REED @ THE ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE - CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON


PAUL RUDD ON HIS PARTICIPATION IN CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR
I was wondering with Captain America: Civil War, what is the scale going to be? How much war is there going to be in Civil War?

Paul Rudd: There’s a lot of war, but it’s a… civil war. To an extreme.

...(laughter)...

Chris Hewitt: And on that bombshell, thank you so much for coming, thanks for your questions.

It was over. I was dazzled by the stars and their bright lights, happy go lucky attitude and left wanting more.  Peyton Reed came across as earnest and passionate and deftly able to navigate some of the trickier aspects of discussions given Ant-Man's production history. Michael Peña is a funny and personable man, despite his great performances in serious powerhouse films (Fury, ) he'll always be Chango "It's so pretty" from 30 Minutes or Less to me.

Paul Rudd seemed like a genuinely heart warming and nice guy, the kind of guy you would be comfortable inviting back to the man cave for a jam or Call of Duty session. He's that kind of guy. The real surprise for me was Michael Douglas. Man what a gentleman - he is truly old school and it's easy to see why he is referred to as Hollywood royalty, the man is a legend and not only because of his name. He has serious gravitas and knows how to win over a crowd saying the exact right things at the right time making everything fun.

It has been a real pleasure seeing these artist at the top of their game winning audiences over and I hope to see them all back for an even better Ant-Man 2.

     Slideshow: Ant-Man European Press Conference - July 2015 - CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON
Ant-Man European Press Conference - July 2015


The next evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings a founding member of The Avengers to the big screen for the first time with Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man.” Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

Marvel’s “Ant-Man” stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang aka Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne, Corey Stoll as Darren Cross aka Yellowjacket, Bobby Cannavale as Paxton, Michael Peña as Luis, Judy Greer as Maggie, Tip “Ti” Harris as Dave, David Dastmalchian as Kurt, Wood Harris as Gale, Jordi Mollà as Castillo and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym.

Directed by Peyton Reed and produced by Kevin Feige, Marvel’s “Ant-Man” delivers a high-stakes, tension-filled adventure on July 17, 2015.

The IMAX release of Ant-Man will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of An IMAX 3D Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.


Ant-Man (2015) Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

Director:
Peyton Reed

Writers:
Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Adam McKay, Paul Rudd, Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby

Stars:
Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Abby Ryder Fortson, Michael Peña, T.I., Hayley Atwell, John Slattery

For more information on Marvel's Ant-Man head over to:
The official Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/marveluk
YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/MarvelUK
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MarvelUK



The Establishing Shot: THE ANT-MAN TEAM TALK ABOUT MAKING ANT-MAN, EDGAR WRIGHT'S CONTRIBUTION, CREATING THE CHARACTERS OF ANT-MAN THE POSSIBLE THE FUTURE OF ANT-MAN AND ALSO MENTION CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR AND DIRECTOR PEYTON REED TALKS MARVEL SUB GENRES AND HIS FAVOURITE ANT-MAN STORIES WITH US.

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