Marvel's Ant-Man(The NEXT Avenger)

[Shogunn2517]

I'm not sure if anyone caught it earlier, but the test footage for ANT-MAN that was released last year during Comic-Con Interntional, it was finally leaked online via a cellphone camera during the event.

Sorry, this was about 10 hours ago and it has since been removed, but last year there was a storyboard done of a pretty faithful recreation of what the minute long short showed.  There are some slight differences, he flips out of the vent, his change is with an instanteous flash, its close.  Live-action, the costume looked rather Daredevil-ish and the helmet(which covered the entire facial area) looked somewhat like Ripcord's from GI JOE, but all gray.  It didn't look bad at all.

Anyway, here's the storyboard. I'd link the test footage but I can't find it anymore.

http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2012/09/27/edgar-wrights-ant-man-test-reel-recreated-in-fan-made-video/

[Tomato]

I'm gonna be honest man... I don't think anyone cares about Ant-man at this point (and this from the guy whose title used to be AntmanAnext). They haven't cast a single actor for the film, the script details are sketchy at best, and the movie isn't even going to START filming until 2015. We've still got Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Captain America 2, Guardians of the Galaxy, AND Avengers 2 to get through first.

[Talavar]

I care about an Ant-man movie, largely because it's being made by Edgar Wright.

[BWPS]

Yeah if this comes out as a highly stylish action comedy, I think it could be fantastic. He's a great choice for such a silly character. The teaser I saw didn't give me much of a reaction but it wasn't really showing much.

[Tomato]

Yo guys missed my point... it's not that I'm dismissing this because it's antman, I'm dismissing it because there's nothing new to talk about. IIRC, the subject of the test footage WAS brought up already in another thread, and nothing new about the movie has been revealed since that point. There's no sense in making a thread that's just going to be 3 pages back by the time actual new starts coming out.

[Shogunn2517]

New news... is new news.

http://variety.com/2013/film/news/marvel-officially-names-paul-rudd-as-ant-man-1200980005/

I wonder if this means we'll get a AOU or MAOS cameo...

[detourne_me]

This has potential! Paul Rudd can do love able schmuck or smarmy d-bag well. I just wonder which direction they'll go with this. Also I hope we get some news about Janet Van Dyne soon.

[lugaru]

After watching 'the end of the world' I'm a lot more excited about it.

[Talavar]

It's official-ish: Paul Rudd is Scott Lang, and Michael Douglas is playing Hank Pym.  Boom. http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=50250

[crimsonquill]

It's official-ish: Paul Rudd is Scott Lang, and Michael Douglas is playing Hank Pym.  Boom. http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=50250

I'm very thrilled with the news because I felt that Paul Rudd was a better fit for Scott Lang as character then anyone else. Michael Douglas as Hank Pym totally works for me because I pictured Pym among the young scientists that Howard Stark and Peggy Carter sign up for S.H.I.E.L.D. during it's post war years. So it's possible we will see young Pym cameo in Captain America: Winter Soldier deep within the labs working with insect communication in flashback (maybe never saying a word) using an unknown actor and later show up being played by Douglas in modern day hanging with Tony Stark working on some A.I. project (possibly the new brain of Iron Man 2.0 since Tony doesn't want to wear the armor anymore) which leads to Ultron in AoU.

I would assume that the Ant-Man movie would then focus on Lang (who is probably working as a lab assistant) stealing Pym's old hardware to save his daughter which brings both versions of Ant-Man (err.. Ant-Men?) head to head. Probably getting flashbacks of Pym's early experiments with his communication helmet and Pym particles while Lang is coming to grips with controlling the unusual functions of the "suit" he stole from the lab. It allows Pym to dub him the new Ant-Man by the end of the movie and leave room for Giant-Man or Goliath to be created as a future S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in later films.

Just my 2 cents.
- CQ

[Silver Shocker]

So I do think that Lang and Pym both being in the movie is cool, and I dig it if Hank's being used as the mentor character to pass down the legacy to Lang, but Micheal Douglas as Hank? I'm having trouble picturing it.

[BentonGrey]

Bah...bah...and bah.  I'll post a more eloquent response later (class prep madness at the moment!), but I can't say I'm thrilled with this.  I don't care about Scott Lang period (not that I don't like the character, but I just really don't have any interest in him), and Douglass seems like a really poor fit for Hank.  I really want to be excited about this film, but this news makes it more difficult.

[Talavar]

I like it.  At best, Hank Pym has a troubled history, and Michael Douglas is an actor capable of representing at least a hint of that.  I also like that we're seeing a legacy character enter the Marvel universe.  To be fair, neither Hank Pym nor Scott Lang have ever been favourites of mine; I'm mainly interested in Ant-man because of Edgar Wright.  This legacy introduction (in some form) definitely increases my interest.

[Podmark]

Well I'm a big fan of both Hank and Scott, so on one hand I'm very happy to have them in the film...but Douglas is really old to be playing Pym. It pretty much takes him off the table as a significant super hero character. I'd have preferred someone younger that could potentially be Giant-Man/Goliath/Yellowjacket/Wasp/Dr. Pym in an Avengers movie. Anyway we'll see how this plays out.

I've always had an odd feeling for Wright's Ant-Man film. I have this feeling it's not going to feel like the other Marvel movies.

[crimsonquill]

Well I'm a big fan of both Hank and Scott, so on one hand I'm very happy to have them in the film...but Douglas is really old to be playing Pym. It pretty much takes him off the table as a significant super hero character. I'd have preferred someone younger that could potentially be Giant-Man/Goliath/Yellowjacket/Wasp/Dr. Pym in an Avengers movie. Anyway we'll see how this plays out.

Yeah, My first thought was we wouldn't get to see Pym in his costumed identities... however Douglas is playing the aged and retired version of Hank Pym. In one of Edgar Wright's interviews awhile back said he had planned for telling the legacy of Pym and his whole discovery of the insect world through the eyes of two characters. I assumed that it was Ant-Man and Wasp but apparently it might be in flashbacks of Pym discovering his particles and then through Lang taking his inventions and making him a full on superhero who eventually joins The Avengers in Phase Three. I doubt that we will be seeing Douglas wearing anything other then a lab coat but I'm pretty sure that there is an actor who has been picked to play Young Pym who has yet to be announced (I'm taking bets it's Cameron Douglas, his son who is an actor and looks very much like him, who might don the lab coat and an early version of the costume in flashbacks to give background of his early years as Ant-Man).

From the news sources I've been looking over.. Douglas was given Variety magazine buzz to be a villain just before the holidays and then it was quickly retracted upon the announcement of him as Pym. Makes me wonder if they will play up Pym becoming very unstable after discovering his work has been stolen and goes after Lang calling himself Yellowjacket (not wearing some costume but using inventions from around the lab). I think that would cover Pym's whole hero gone over the edge angle using two of his most well known namesakes without addressing the slap heard around the world. Course that makes you wonder how they will address Wasp's character since she is listed among the cast in scripts that Wright talked about.

- CQ

[thalaw2]

The Michael Douglas announcement blows me away.  I like his work, but I just don't see how he's fit into the project...as Ant-Man.  But...Kelsey Grammar made a good Beast so I'm willing to see what happens.

[BentonGrey]

But Kelsey Grammar was a great fit for Beast.  He's urbane, sophisticated, and yet he's got the physical presence to be intimidating. 

Michael Douglas doesn't seem terribly good for Hank Pym to me.  I could be wrong, but that's my initial impression.

[Gremlin]

I confess that I know very little about Pym's character. Besides his age, why doesn't Douglas seem like a good fit?

[detourne_me]

I read a pretty great post about Hank Pym, and why it's not a good idea to have Michael Douglas as him.... Don't quite remember where it's from, but I'll break down the main points...
4 reasons why Hank Pym is memorable:
1. He's a founding member of the Avengers
2. He's got Janet Van Dyne, the Wasp as an on-again/off-again love interest and partner
3. He made Ultron, which in turn leads to a whole lot of other Avengers Lore
4. Unfortunately he's also remembered for spousal abuse

Now, let's fit these points into the current marvel cinematic framework:
1. Too late for that, and even if they retcon Michael Douglas into being a part of SHIELD, it may be a little late.
2. This is where things get iffy.  The Avengers need more of a female presence, and she is a charter member. Well, let's look at the possibilities,
    A. Jan is Michael's age, and we know in Hollywood, that would probably make her a background character.  Not gonna happen.
    B. Jan is much younger than Michael, and it's a bit creepy.
    C. Jan now become's Paul Rudd's love interest and the whole lore of Ant-man and the Wasp is changed,   She becomes a one size fits all accessory, and not a character in her own right.
3. It's already been revealed that  Ultron (the villain for Avengers 2) wasn't made by Hank Pym,  this just trivializes Hank's contributions further... So I guess it's OK to have an old guy in the role?
4. This is a touchy subject, and although it could've been a driving issue for character growth (like Tony's alcoholism) it probably won't be addressed in the movie. Similarity Tony's drinking was kind of sidelined in IM3 making his pride and arrogance his main character flaw, and in some sense his greatest strength too (for entertainment purposes.)

Focusing mainly on Scott Lang, I guess they can look at the main theme of Redemption. From being a crook with a good heart to being a family friendly superhero is a lot more palatable than a semi-schizophrenic wife beating scientist.
Unfortunately, I think this decision makes us lose the opportunity for The Wasp to enter into the marvel cinematic universe.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Well, at least we have the Scarlet Which, so that's one new female Avenger anyway, although I am sad to not see Wasp as well.

[Starman]

I think we'll still have Janet, but her relationship to Hank will obviously be different ... maybe a younger scientist or lab assistant? As if Marvel are going to turn down the opportunity to launch another superhero via the Ant-Man film.

Regarding Michael Douglas ... the guy is great actor, and I'm glad he's onboard. From what I understand, the Ant-Man character is essentially going to be split in half ... Douglas will play the super scientist, Rudd will be the costumed hero. I'm intrigued as to how all the pieces are going to fit, but I trust Edgar Wright to make it work.

[BWPS]

Yeah they'll have to change The Wasp because it just wouldn't make sense for Michael Douglas to be with a young beautiful woman.

[lugaru]

Yeah they'll have to change The Wasp because it just wouldn't make sense for Michael Douglas to be with a young beautiful woman.

Confirmed: Catherine Zeta Jones as the wasp.   

[JeyNyce]

Here's a thought:

Avengers 2 comes out before Ant-man, right?  What is the possibility of Ant-man being a prequel to Avengers 2?  Pym could still make Ultron, SHIELD put Ultron in storage and for one reason or another Ultron gets free and it's up to the Avengers to stop him.  The Ant-man movie could be about how Pym created Ant-man and how Scott got a whole of it, while all of this is going on Pym is working/ creating Ultron in the background.  Almost like they showed Cap's shield in the Iron Man movies.  Plus it would hype up the Ant-man movie while keeping the comics purist somewhat happy

[crimsonquill]

Avengers 2 comes out before Ant-man, right?

Ant-Man is slated to come out on 17th of July 2015... and Avengers: Age Of Ultron comes out on 1st of May 2015. Sooo, that's a negative... Avengers 2 comes out first and followed by Ant-Man just a few months afterward.

- CQ

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Avengers 2 comes out before Ant-man, right?

Ant-Man is slated to come out on 17th of July 2015... and Avengers: Age Of Ultron comes out on 1st of May 2015. Sooo, that's a negative... Avengers 2 comes out first and followed by Ant-Man just a few months afterward.

- CQ

Which is exactly what he's saying.

[crimsonquill]

Avengers 2 comes out before Ant-man, right?

Ant-Man is slated to come out on 17th of July 2015... and Avengers: Age Of Ultron comes out on 1st of May 2015. Sooo, that's a negative... Avengers 2 comes out first and followed by Ant-Man just a few months afterward.

- CQ

Which is exactly what he's saying.

Oh, Ooops.. I guess I misread it the first time around while I was still half-awake and drugged up on cold medicine. >.< Sorry, JeyNyce and Cat.

I just remember Joss Whedon being very clear that Ant-Man/Pym would NOT appear IN Avengers 2.. but that doesn't mean he will be a background character in Captain America 2 (during a flashback maybe) or having a post-credit cameo somewhere before then. Course he could very much be lying and making sure it's a surprise appearance when he does appear before Ant-Man.

- CQ

[spydermann93]

So, what do you guys think of the new costume?

Spoiler

[Cyber Burn]

Spoiler

The helmet doesn't look too bad, but I'll wait until I see the whole costume before I form any real opinion.

[BentonGrey]

Agreed CB.