Ant-Man (film)

Ant-Man is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics characters of the same name: Scott Lang and Hank Pym. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is intended to be the twelfth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Peyton Reed, with a screenplay written by Adam McKay and Paul Rudd, and stars Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Judy Greer, Tip "T.I" Harris, David Dastmalchian, Wood Harris, Jordi Mollà, and Michael Douglas. In Ant-Man, Lang must help defend Dr. Pym's Ant-Man technology and plot a heist with worldwide ramifications.

Development of Ant-Man began in April 2006, with the hiring of Edgar Wright to direct and co-write with Joe Cornish. By April 2011, Wright and Cornish had completed three drafts of the script and Wright shot test footage for the film in July 2012. Pre-production began in October 2013 after being put on hold so that Wright could complete The World's End. Casting began in December 2013, with the acquisition of Rudd to play Lang. In May 2014, Wright left the project citing creative differences, though he still received a story credit with Cornish. The following month, Reed was brought in as Wright's replacement and McKay was hired to contribute to the script. Principal photography took place between August and December 2014 in San Francisco and Metro Atlanta.

Ant-Man is scheduled to be released on July 17, 2015.

Premise

Thief Scott Lang must aid his mentor Dr. Hank Pym in safeguarding the mystery of the Ant-Man technology â€" which allows its user to decrease in size but increase in strength â€" from various new threats, and plot a heist that will save the Earth.

Cast

• Paul Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man:

A petty criminal, who acquires an invented substance that allows him to shrink in scale but increase in strength. Regarding Rudd's casting, producer Kevin Feige said, "Look at that origin of the petty crook who comes into contact with a suit and does his best to make good, and then look at someone like Paul Rudd, who can do slightly unsavory things like break into people’s houses and still be charming and who you root for and whose redemption you will find satisfaction in." On the character, Peyton Reed said, "He's not used to being a hero. He's more like George Clooney['s character Danny Ocean] in Ocean's Eleven. He’s a guy trying to create a new life for himself and find redemption." To get in shape for the role, Rudd worked with trainers and cut alcohol, fried foods and carbohydrates out of his diet.

• Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne:

The daughter of Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne who helps Darren Cross take over Pym's company. Describing her character, Lilly said, "I was raised by two superheroes. So, I'm a pretty screwed up human being. I am also fairly capable, strong, and kick-ass, which is wonderful to play, but the most fun to play was just how messed up she was from being raised by two superheroes. And the clear message sent by my name is that I'm not a big fan of my father and so I took my mother's name." She added that Van Dyne's "arc in the movie is trying to find a relationship" with Pym. Originally cast by Wright, Lilly was reluctant to take the role after he left the project until she read the revised script and got a chance to meet with Reed.

• Corey Stoll as Darren Cross / Yellowjacket:

A former protégé of Pym, who takes over Pym's company and militarizes a similar version of the Ant-Man technology along with creating the Yellowjacket suit. Describing the suit, Stoll said, "Darren Cross... has a suit that is sort of the next generation of Ant-Man’s suit. It can do everything that Ant-Man can do, but more. It’s more badass, more militaristic, sleeker… sort of like if Apple had designed a battle suit." As for his character, Stoll said, "He is not a villain in the vein of Thanos or Loki, who are villains that know it. [Cross] is a guy who is not that dissimilar from Michael Douglas' character, Hank Pym. A brilliant scientist, who is not ethically pure. I think a great thing about the whole movie is that everybody in this movie is in those shades of gray a little bit."

• Bobby Cannavale as Paxton:

A friend of Lang's, and Maggie's new husband. Cannavale stated that Rudd and McKay convinced him to join the film, saying, "They sort of pumped [my] part up a bit in [their rewrite] and they both called me and said, 'You've got to do this.' They called me before Marvel called. I really went on good faith because they're so secretive over there about the script. I just trusted" them. He also added that the process felt like an indie film, instead of a large-scale blockbuster, and that he was able to improvise a lot, along with the other actors.

• Michael Peña as Luis: Lang's cellmate.
• Judy Greer as Maggie: Lang's estranged ex-wife.
• Tip "T.I." Harris as Dave
• David Dastmalchian as Kurt
• Wood Harris as Gale
• Jordi Mollà as Castillo
• Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym / Ant-Man:

An entomologist and physicist who invents the Ant-Man technology in 1963 and mentors Lang to take over as Ant-Man. Douglas compared his decision to join a superhero film to his role in Behind the Candelabra saying, "Sometimesâ€"like [when] they didn't see you for Liberaceâ€"you've got to shake them up a little bit and have some fun." Douglas indicated that he will not be wearing the Ant-Man suit, saying, "My costume will be hung up and Paul will be wearing it in good form."

Additionally, John Slattery and Hayley Atwell reprise their roles as Howard Stark from Iron Man 2 and Peggy Carter from the Captain America films and Agent Carter, respectively. Slattery stated that his involvement in Ant-Man was "not that much more" than his participation in Iron Man 2, while Atwell called her appearance "more of a cameo". Abby Ryder Fortson portrays Cassie, the daughter of Lang and Maggie. Gregg Turkington and Martin Donovan have been cast in undisclosed roles.

Production

Development

Development of an Ant-Man film began as early as the late 1980s, when Ant-Man co-creator Stan Lee pitched the idea to New World Entertainment, Marvel Comics' parent company at the time. However, Walt Disney Pictures was developing a film based on a similar concept, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and although Ant-Man went into development, nothing came to fruition.

In May 2000, Artisan Entertainment announced a deal with Marvel to coproduce, finance and distribute a film based on Ant-Man. In 2003, Edgar Wright and his writing partner Joe Cornish wrote a treatment for Artisan, with Wright explaining, "We wrote this treatment revolving around the Scott Lang character, who was a burglar, so he could have gone slightly in the Elmore Leonard route, and they came back saying, 'Oh, we wanted to do something that was like a family thing'. I don't think it ever got sent to Marvel." A year later, the duo pitched the film to Marvel Studios' then head of production, Kevin Feige. In April 2006, Marvel Studios hired Wright to direct Ant-Man as part of the company's first slate of independently produced films, buoyed by a $525 million revolving film-financing facility. Wright also signed to co-write the screenplay with Cornish, based on a comic book series about an electronics expert who can shrink to the size of an insect and communicate with ants via a telepathic / cybernetic helmet, and to co-produce the film with his Big Talk Productions partner, Nira Park.

At the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con International, Wright said he was intrigued by the story's high concept and character. Wright also stressed that the film will not be a spoof but an action-adventure with some comedic elements and would incorporate both the Hank Pym and Scott Lang incarnations of the character. At the time, Wright said that he was looking to "do a prologue where you see Pym as Ant-Man in action in the 60's, in sort of Tales to Astonish mode basically, and then the contemporary, sort of flash-forward, is Scott Lang's story, and how he comes to acquire the suit, how he crosses paths with Hank Pym, and then, in an interesting sort of Machiavellian way, teams up with him."

In February 2007, Wright said that the project was in "a holding pattern" while the script was being revised. He also said that he had been doing research for the film, stating "Obviously I can't interview anyone that's got shrinking serum, [but] in terms of who the characters are though â€" yeah. Nanotechnology and all that." In March 2008, Wright said that the first draft of the script had been completed and he was working on the second.

In February 2010, Stan Lee tweeted that he met with Wright for lunch, writing "To make up for my previous grievous error, here's a little item that may have escaped you. Marvel is prepping a movie starring-- Ant Man!". Lee continued, "I had lunch with the cool, young director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead) and, as you'd imagine, we had fun discussing the tiny hero". Later in the week Wright told MTV News that there was no timetable for the film "Because that character isn't one of their biggest properties, it's not like a tentpole deadline ... It's more like me and [Marvel Studios president] Kevin Feige saying, 'Let's make a really good script.' We've always agreed on that â€" 'Let's make a good script that works, that's all about a great genre film, and that isn't necessarily relying on anything else'". At the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International, Wright said that Ant-Man would not fit in the chronology of The Avengers as "it didn’t work with the kind of the angle that we were going to do with the origin that I’d written".

In January 2011, Wright stated that he had resumed writing the script for the film following the conclusion of the international promotion for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. In April 2011, Cornish said that he and Wright delivered the second draft of Ant-Man to Marvel. At the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con International, Wright said "Since February, we've done two drafts of the script, and we just handed in a third draft".

In May 2012, Feige said that the project was "as close as it's ever been" while Wright teased the film by tweeting a pictogram of Ant-Man. In June 2012, Wright spent just under a week shooting footage for a reel that would be used to test out the potential look and tone of his movie, as well as to decide how convincing Ant-Man's powers look on screen. At the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con International, Wright stated that Ant-Man would be happening and screened the test footage to the audience during the Marvel Studios panel. Germain Lussier of /Film felt the footage worked and was "awesome", as "it had a totally different vibe from the other Marvel films. It was much more like something you’d recognize from Hot Fuzz." Lussier, along with Katy Rich of CinemaBlend, also enjoyed the costume design choice. In October 2012, Marvel Studios and Disney scheduled the film for release on November 6, 2015.

In January 2013, Feige stated that Ant-Man would be part of Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In May 2013, Feige indicated that the screenplay needed to be modified in order to fit into the universe because the project had been in development before the first Iron Man film. Feige also stated that shooting was slated to begin sometime in 2014, and that casting would begin towards the end of 2013. In July 2013, Wright said that he and Cornish had completed the script for the film and that Marvel allowed him to delay its production so that he could complete The World's End, as the film's producer Eric Fellner was diagnosed with cancer.

In August 2013 after Joss Whedon, director of Avengers: Age of Ultron, announced that Hank Pym would not be Ultron's creator, Wright said Ultron was never a part of the story of Ant-Man. Wright elaborated, "[Ultron] was never in my script. Because even just to sort of set up what Ant-Man does is enough for one movie", and described Ant-Man as a stand-alone film. He said it will fit into to the larger continuity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, explaining that "It is pretty standalone in the way we're linking it to the others. I like to make it standalone because I think the premise of it needs time. I want to put the crazy premise of it into a real world, which is why I think Iron Man really works because it's a relatively simple universe; it's relatable. I definitely want to go into finding a streamlined format where you use the origin format to introduce the main character and further adventures can bring other people into it." Also in August, Wright stated that pre-production for Ant-Man would begin in October and filming would begin in 2014. In September 2013, Disney moved the film's release date from November 6, 2015 to July 31, 2015.

Pre-production

In October 2013, Wright tweeted a photograph from the production of the June 2012 test reel with the caption, "Now I'm back in LA, it's high time to finish a little something I've been working on." By October 14, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Paul Rudd were being considered for the lead role. However, Gordon-Levitt dismissed his consideration as a rumor. Also in October, Kevin Feige stated that Ant-Man will be a "heist movie" and to expect a casting announcement for Hank Pym before the end of 2013.

In November 2013, Feige stated that aspects of Eric O'Grady's Ant-Man would not be featured in the film. By November 25, Rudd became the frontrunner to play Hank Pym, and casting for Pym's girlfriend had begun. Also in November, the filmmakers' intentions to shoot in the UK were dashed due to a lack of studio space. Wright said, "Ironically, Ant-Man was meant to shoot in London but London is full because I guess that Pinewood extension got turned down," referring to the plan by Pinewood Shepperton to add 15 studios to their facility but was rejected in part by the local council in May 2013 because the project was eyeing protected land. By the end of the month, the film was scheduled to be shot in the US instead.

In December 2013, Wright, a fan of the comic book since childhood â€" owning copies of Tales to Astonish #27 featuring the "The Man in the Ant-Hill" storyline and Marvel Premiere #47 featuring the first appearance of Scott Lang, spoke about the difference between Ant-Man and other films featuring size-changing saying, "The difference between Ant-Man and other shrinking movies is other shrinking movies are usually about somebody trapped small. This is different in that he can actually change size and he can do that at will, so it becomes more of a power than an impediment." Wright also talked about the challenge of directing a superhero film saying, "It's a challenge to do. Shaun and Hot Fuzz and World's End are all R-rated films. I like the challenge of making a PG-13 film. Because you've got to entertain in a different way. You don't have the same tools. It's also different in terms of Scott Pilgrim. They're both adaptations. It's nice to be able to do an adaptation." By December 19, Rudd was in negotiations to star in the film. The following day, Marvel announced that Rudd had been cast as Ant-Man.

In January 2014, Wright posted a screenshot on his blog from the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes episode "To Steal an Ant-Man", which features Hank Pym and introduces the Scott Lang character, with the caption "homework". On January 13, Michael Douglas was cast as Hank Pym and Rudd was confirmed to play Lang. The following day, Michael Peña was offered an unspecified role in the film. Later in January, filming was scheduled take place at Pinewood Atlanta in Fayette County, Georgia. Also in January, Disney changed the release date once again, moving the film up to July 17, 2015 from July 31, 2015. In February 2014, Evangeline Lilly entered early talks to portray the female lead. In the same month, Wright announced on his blog that Bill Pope, who he worked with on Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and The World's End, would be his director of photography. By March 2014, Wright and Cornish turned in a fifth draft of the script amid alleged disputes on the direction the script is taking. As well, Wright and Cornish wrote a scene intended for the post-credits of Avengers: Age of Ultron that would act as a prelude to the film. Also in March 2014, Corey Stoll entered negotiations for an undisclosed role in the film and by April, Patrick Wilson and Matt Gerald were cast in undisclosed roles.

On May 23, 2014, Marvel and Wright jointly announced that Wright was leaving the project, due to "differences in their vision of the film" and that the studio was closing in on a new director. Pope also left the project in the wake of Wright's departure. By May 30, Adam McKay had entered negotiations to replace Wright, but pulled out of negotiations the next day. On June 7, Marvel announced that Peyton Reed would direct the film, with McKay contributing to the film's script. Other directors under consideration included Ruben Fleischer, Rawson Marshall Thurber, Nicholas Stoller, Michael Dowse, and David Wain.

Later in the month, Feige stated the film was still intended to be released on the July 17, 2015 date, with production slated to begin on August 18, 2014. Feige elaborated that "much of the movie will still be based very much on [Wright and Cornish's] draft and the DNA of what Edgar has created up to this point" with Reed stepping in to direct, and McKay reworking only parts of the script. "[Reed] wanted to be sure that he was wasn’t just inheriting something or following someone else’s lead. Or wasn't inheriting something that the evil studio had watered down to be something bad", Feige continued. "He looked at everything, he talked with us, and he said 'Number one, I agree with the direction you're going in. And number two, I can add to it.'"

McKay stated that Rudd helped him rewrite the script, saying, "I’ve always known Paul Rudd’s a really good writer from improvising with him on set, but I had no idea he was that goodâ€"he’s really great with dialogue. So the two of us holed up in hotel rooms on the east and west coast, and I think it was like six to eight weeks we just ground it out and did a giant rewrite of the script. I was really proud of what we did, I really thought we put some amazing stuff in there and built on an already strong script from Edgar Wright and sort of just enhanced some stuff." Rudd elaborated, "The idea, the trajectory, the goal, and the blueprint of it all, is really Edgar and Joe. It’s their story. We changed some scenes, we added new sequences, we changed some characters, we added new characters. If you took the two scripts and held them up together they’d be very differentâ€"but the idea is all theirs." For their efforts, McKay and Rudd received writing credits for the screenplay, while Wright and Cornish were credited for the story.

By the end of July, Wilson left the film due to scheduling conflicts brought on by the filming delay, and characters being played by Gerald and Kevin Weisman were cut from McKay's revised script. Also, Reed indicated that filming would take place in San Francisco as well as Georgia. In August 2014, Reed revealed that Scott Lang's daughter would appear in the film, and Gabriel Ferrari and Andrew Barrer were hired to make further revisions to the script. After reading the revised script, Evangeline Lilly said, "I saw with my own eyes that Marvel had just pulled the script into their world. I mean, they’ve established a universe, and everyone has come to expect a certain aesthetic [and] a certain feel for Marvel films. And what Edgar was creating was much more in the Edgar Wright camp of films. They were very different. And I feel like, if [Marvel] had created Edgar’s incredible vision â€" which would have been, like, classic comic book â€" it would have been such a riot to film [and] it would have been so much fun to watch. [But] it wouldn’t have fit in the Marvel Universe. It would have stuck out like a sore thumb, no matter how good it was. It just would have taken you away from this cohesive universe they’re trying to create. And therefore it ruins the suspended disbelief that they’ve built."

Filming

Principal photography began on August 18, 2014 in San Francisco, with Russell Carpenter serving as cinematographer. Scenes were scheduled to be shot in the Tenderloin neighborhood and Buena Vista Park. By the end of September 2014, production on Ant-Man moved to Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Fayette County, Georgia, and David Callaham completed a rewrite of the film. Filming also took place at the State Archives building in Downtown Atlanta. In October 2014, Martin Donovan was added to the cast, and Feige revealed that Ant-Man would no longer start Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and would instead be the final film of Phase Two. On December 5, 2014, Reed announced on social media that principal photography on Ant-Man had been completed.

Post-production

Following the completion of principal photography, Marvel released an updated synopsis revealing that Jordi Mollà was included in the cast and the names of several supporting characters. For scenes featuring shrunken characters, the filmmakers used macro photography and motion-capture technology. Co-producer Brad Winderbaum said, "There are cameras and lenses that make small areas look like the most epic landscapes. Then we're shooting motion capture with [Rudd] to insert Ant-Man into those environments." Dan Lebental and Colby Parker, Jr. serve as film editors. In March 2015, Hayley Atwell confirmed she was reprising her role as Peggy Carter in the film.

Music

In February 2014, Wright tweeted that Steven Price would score the film. However, Price left soon after Wright's departure from the project. In January 2015, Christophe Beck was hired as the replacement.

Release

Ant-Man is scheduled to be released in North America on July 17, 2015. It had originally been scheduled for release on November 6, 2015. In September 2013, the release was moved to July 31, 2015, before changing for a final time to July 17, 2015 in January 2014.

Marketing

In March 2014, ABC aired a one-hour television special titled, Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe, which included a sneak peek of Ant-Man. In July 2014, Reed, Rudd, Douglas, Lilly, and Stoll appeared at Marvel Studios' panel at the 2014 San Diego Comicâ€"Con to help promote the film and screen a visual effects test featuring Rudd and Douglas. In October 2014, Marvel Comics' Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso stated there are comic tie-in plans for the film. In November 2014, ABC aired another one-hour television special titled, Marvel 75 Years: From Pulp to Pop!, which featured behind the scenes footage of Ant-Man. Marvel Comics' February 2015 solicitations released in December 2014, revealed a two-issue comic tie-in, Marvel's Ant-Man Prelude, following Hank Pym as Ant-Man on a mission during the Cold War. A second comic tie-in, Marvel's Ant-Man â€" Scott Lang: Small Time, was released digitally on March 3, 2015. It explains Lang's circumstances at the beginning of the film.

In January 2015, Disney officially began the film's marketing campaign by releasing a miniature "ant-sized" teaser trailer, a full-sized version of the same teaser trailer, a poster, a cover on Entertainment Weekly, and a full-length trailer during the premiere of the television series, Agent Carter. Scott Mendelson of Forbes, said "It was darn-clever for Disney to put out a miniature 'can't see anything without a microscope' version of the now-standard trailer for the trailer. I sighed just a little when they 'gave in' and released a human-sized version, realizing that Disney had just released what amounted to a teaser to a teaser to a trailer... But nonetheless, credit where credit is due, Disney was able to turn a single theatrical trailer into three separate news drops in about five days." Mendelson went on to say that "the peppy, witty trailer above is a general audience sell. Marvel knows the geeks will come if only to throw stones, but it's the mainstream audience that needs to be sold. So far, so good." However, Graeme McMillan of The Hollywood Reporter criticized the trailer for its placement during the broadcast premiere of Agent Carter, its tone, its soundtrack and for being thematically similar to other trailers from Marvel Studios. McMillan concluded, "The Ant-Man trailer isn't bad, per se; it is, however, impressively underwhelming, which almost seems worse. Thanks to the last-minute exit of original writer-director Edgar Wright and the subsequent struggle to find a replacement, Ant-Man has become the movie that people are expecting to be Marvel's first failure, in critical if not financial terms, at least; this trailer, which fails to convince and gets by on goodwill for those involved and the Marvel brand as much as anything else, doesn't do enough â€" or anything, really â€" to persuade audiences that that's not the case." The trailer generated 29 million views worldwide in three days, the third largest viewership for a Marvel Studios film, behind trailers for Iron Man 3 and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

References

External links

• Official website
• Ant-Man at the Internet Movie Database
• Ant-Man at Box Office Mojo
• Ant-Man at Rotten Tomatoes
• Ant-Man at Metacritic