"This ain't Honey I Shrunk the Kids!" jokes Paul Rudd as he struts around an empty storage room located somewhere on the ever-growing Pinewood Studios lot in Atlanta, Georgia. Fandango had a chance to visit with Rudd and his Ant-Man cast mates last year while they were filming crucial scenes for Marvel's next big -- or should we say small? miniature? ant-sized? -- superhero movie, due in theaters on July 17.
And as we watched Rudd circle that storage room dressed in full Ant-Man gear -- listening to him talk about how cool, unique and personal this film was for everyone involved -- we couldn't help but root for Ant-Man and anticipate the Marvel Studios film more than any superhero movie that has come before it.
Why? Well, you're gonna have to read on to find that out.
Your Ant-Man Questions Answered!
What Is Ant-Man?
Ant-Man is a Marvel comic that began its run way back in 1962. It follows a guy named Dr. Hank Pym, played my Michael Douglas in the movie. He's a physicist who creates this substance (referred to as Pym particles) that allows him to shrink down to the size of an ant and gain superstrength. Along with his wife, Janet Van Dyne (aka Wasp), the two experienced many heroic adventures together.
Ant-Man the movie, however, takes place in present day -- and it follows an ex-con (Paul Rudd) who's recruited by Pym to resurrect his old Ant-Man suit in order to pull off a dangerous heist involving a former business partner and protege of Pym's named Darren Cross (Corey Stoll).
Does Ant-Man take place right after Avengers: Age of Ultron?
It does, according to Marvel chief Kevin Feige. "All of the present-day movies more or less take place within the chronology of the release of the movies," he said. "The exact months and the exact weeks are sometimes determined later."
Are any of the Avengers in Ant-Man?
Technically, yes. Dr. Hank Pym (Douglas) is one of the founding members of the Avengers -- a former secret agent who worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. during the final days of the Cold War -- and he has a rough history with guys like Howard Stark, Tony Stark's father. Things got so bad between Stark and Pym that Pym retired and locked his special suit in a vault for decades.
"It's not until this movie that he has a reason to take it out again," Kevin Feige reveals. "Not because he wants there to be another superhero named Ant-Man, but because he needs to pull off a heist. He needs to stop his protege from perpetuating this technology in nefarious ways."
Seriously, though -- can this movie really top Age of Ultron?
Ant-Man doesn't try to top any of the previous Marvel superhero movies -- in fact, it takes the exact opposite approach. Instead of, say, a big city or the entire planet being at stake, what's most important in Ant-Man is the relationship between a family.
"The entire finale of this film takes place in a little kid's bedroom," Feige reveals. "Everything you'll see up to this point in the movie with what the Yellowjacket can do, what the Ant-Man suit can do, what the Pym particles can do to both shrink and enlarge things -- it all culminates in this little kid's room. It's going to make one of the most unique finales we’ve ever had."
Wanna know more about that mysterious little girl? Keep reading...
Three Things That Make Ant-Man the Most Unique Marvel Movie Yet
1. This is a father-daughter movie, first and foremost
Paul Rudd's Scott Lang isn't the first Marvel hero to also be a parent, but it's Marvel's first superhero movie to prominently feature the relationship between a father and a daughter. Lang, a petty thief and career criminal, is estranged from his young daughter when we first meet him -- and much of the movie revolves around him trying to become a part of her life again.
"Maybe some of the choices he makes with his life are questionable," Rudd told us. "Maybe the motives are honorable... or maybe they're not -- some people don't think they are. But I think he cares about his daughter, and that's the motivating factor behind many of the choices he makes. He's a smart guy who has to revaluate what's really important in his life, and what kind of person he wants to be."
Here's a tiny look at the father-daughter relationship at the heart of the movie.
That's not the only father-daughter relationship that's front and center in the film, as Michael Douglas' Hank Pym and his daughter, Evangeline Lilly's Hope Van Dyne, are also estranged from one another, establishing a dynamic that eventually connects everyone together.
2. This ain't Honey I Shrunk the Kids
To borrow a line straight from Paul Rudd, we've come a long way since that 1989 movie starring Rick Moranis as a scientist who accidentally shrinks his kids and the neighbors' kids as well. While that film utilized giant larger-than-life sets to capture the surreal adventures the kids go on while tiny in size, Ant-Man actually reversed that.
By utilizing a third production unit called the Macro Unit, the filmmakers were able to take everyday ordinary objects you'd find lying around your house and they'd use special Frazier lenses to zoom in on them, creating an effect that makes them seem much larger than they actually are. Then, when it was time to place the characters in and around these objects, they would digitally insert them into the frame.
3. The ants in Ant-Man are the new Rocket Raccoon and Groot
What would a film called Ant-Man be like without any, well, ants? And there are a lot of ants in this movie. They don't talk, so don't expect some big celebrity to provide a surprise voiceover, but they function much in the same way Rocket and Groot did in Guardians of the Galaxy -- acting as the film's funky, memorable mascots.
The ants are all connected in some way to Hank Pym, and there's roughly a dozen different ant species represented throughout the film. While they may seem icky and problematic early on, halfway through the movie your view of the ants will completely change. "By the middle of the movie and into the end of the movie, a lot of the ants have personalities," Feige says. "And a lot of the ants become characters. I hope you're cheering for them and become upset if two or three get blown away by the bad guy."
One Cool Ant-Man Easter Egg
Keep an eye out for some familiar Marvel bad guys in the movie who are looking to buy in on some of that Pym technology. Yup, look for a cameo from our friends in the 10 Rings... and that's as much as we'll tell you.
Ant-Man Main Characters
Scott Lang (Paul Rudd)
His Deal: Scott Lang is a longtime criminal and con man whose knack for stealing finds him being recruited to pull off a major heist. One catch: the guy who recruits him wants Lang to wear a suit that makes him shrink to the size of an ant.
Paul Rudd Talks Lang: "I was intrigued by doing something that's outside of the box. You wouldn't think of me in something like this -- most people wouldn't," Rudd said.
Hank Pym (Michael Douglas)
His Deal: Hank Pym is a total S.H.I.E.L.D. OG. He was an Avenger back before they even had Avengers, and while teamed with Howard Stark (Tony's father) back in the '60s, Pym's special Ant-Man suit was whipped out for all kinds of adventures. But when a horrible accident cost him his wife (Janet Van Dyne, aka Wasp), Pym cut all ties with S.H.I.E.L.D. and became an angry recluse. Decades later, a major event forces him to call upon the suit once again -- only he'll need a little extra help this time around.
Michael Douglas Talks Pym: "There's a dark side to Hank. He has a military background besides all of his scientific abilities. He wants to make the world a better place, but in doing so I think he realizes just how dark it is. He feels guilty for developing this [technology] only to see how it can now be used in a negative fashion."
Evangeline Lilly (Hope Van Dyne)
Her Deal: Hope Van Dyne is Hank's daughter and a senior-level scientist at Pym Tech, run by Hank's former protege and nemesis, Darren Cross. "What I love about it is that you're never completely sure where her alliances are because she doesn't seem to like anybody," Lilly jokes.
Evangelina Lilly Talks Van Dyne: "I have a lot of power in the company -- I'm one of the board members, and I'm also the daughter of the man who created the company. But Hank hasn't been around in a long time."
Corey Stoll (Darren Cross)
Ant-sized Fun Fact: That earpiece you see in Douglas' ear is what Hank Pym uses to communicate with his crew of ants.
His Deal: Hank Pym's former protege and current head of Pym Tech, Darren Cross is a ferociously driven scientist who's been trained by Hank Pym to be his successor from a very young age. Cross and Pym's daughter Hope joined forces to oust Hank from the company due to his protests against taking greater risks with the Pym technology.
Corel Stoll on Cross: "His desire for a father's figure approval [is what drives him]. He wants Pym to tell him that he's proud of him."
Five Great Quotes from the Ant-Man Set
11 Ant-Man Fun Facts to Share with Your Friends
1. The Ant-Man suit was created to not just feel nostalgic (it was originally put together in the '60s, after all), but also to have an insectlike quality to it. The red, for example, represents an insect's eyes. The suit has upwards of 400 parts to it, with 17 different helmets created for production.
2. Ant-Man director Peyton Reed may not have directed a superhero movie before, but he's a monster comic geek who worked with Marvel previously on a Fantastic Four movie that never got off the ground.
3. One thing you may not know about Peyton Reed: He directed 13 episodes of the short-lived Back to the Future animated series in the early '90s. Yup, in case you forgot, this does indeed exist.
4. Craziest thing Paul Rudd attempted on set that he's never done before on any of his other movies? "Stay away from the craft services table... that's definitely the craziest thing I've done."
5. To help prepare for all the scenes involving ants -- as well as the macro photography aspect of the shoot -- filmmakers turned to the little-seen 1974 film Phase IV (pictured above) for inspiration. Check out its funky trailer below.
6. There's a scene in the movie that was inspired by an old ride at Disneyland called "Adventures Through Inner Space" -- see if you can spot it.
7. The winged ant Paul Rudd flies around on has a name, and it's -- wait for it -- Antony. Get it? ANTony?
8. Speaking of ants, there's a scene in the movie where a group of fire ants form a raft to assist Rudd's Ant-Man. This is something fire ants can actually do in real life, too. See the video below for proof.
9. Ant-Man was the first movie filmed at the new Pinewood Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. Not only will this eventually become one of the country's biggest studios (there's a plan for over 30 stages), but it's the only studio that has its own Home Depot. No one from the public can use it, so this particular Home Depot is all tricked out with film equipment and stuff necessary for making movies.
10. There's a flashback scene in the movie featuring a 40-year-old Hank Pym, and, yes, Michael Douglas plays him. The scene required filmmakers to age Douglas back 40 years, an exciting concept for the legendary actor. He told us: "I'm starting a new career! Michael Douglas -- isn't he in his '70s? No, no, he's 40! I'm dying to see it."
11. And speaking of Michael Douglas, he says this is the movie that finally made him cool.
