New ANT-MAN Story Details, Character Elements, and Concept Art
Thanks to Entertainment Weekly, we have a bunch of cool new stuff to share with you regarding Marvel's Ant-Man. Some of the things revealed in the article are what Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) are looking to steal. After all, this project has been described as a heist film. We also learn more about Yellowjacket a.k.a. Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), and there's some concept art featuring the villain as well as a photo of Rudd with director Peyton Reed.
When it comes to Yellowjacket, Stoll tells the magazine that Cross was a child prodigy who was nurtured by Pym. As for what the character's role in the film is, he says:
"He started to become aware of this fabled technology that can shrink people to half an inch. Now he's discovered his own version of that technology-which has a psychotic effect on people if they use it too much."
So what are Pym, Lang, and Van Dyke going to do about it? They're going to steal it! That's right, the heist in the film will be to get a hold of Yellowjacket's suit. EW went to visit the set of the film, and they witnessed a scene being shot of the three main characters in a basement control room as they were coming up with a plan to steal the suit from Cross. They also managed to catch some dialogue, such as, "Cross has the place loaded with transmission blockers!"
It should be really fun to watch this team of people try and pull it off. Scott is bringing along a few friends as well. His allies in the story include Dave (Clifford "T.I." Harris), Luis (Michael Peña), and Kurt (David Dastmalchian). He meets these characters in prison early on in the film. These three characters are not based on characters from the comics, but they all play a major role in story. According to Harris, "We are the team that makes up the Ant-Man crusaders, if you will."
Pym ends up training Lang to take down Cross. Since Pym worked with Cross, I'm sure he has a few good pointers on the type of guy Lang will have to deal with. Apparently their attempt to steal the suit will become a little complicated when Hope come into the picture. Lilly explains:
"She’s not been in her father’s life for a long time. So her arc in the movie—as Scott’s is with his daughter—is trying to find a relationship."
Many of us know mending relationships with family can be hard and dramatic at times. When talking about the title hero of the film, director Peyton Reed says:
"He’s not used to being a hero. He’s more like George Clooney in Ocean’s Eleven. He’s a guy trying to create a new life for himself and find redemption."
I'm sure the new life he starts for himself isn't what he was expecting. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige goes on to talk about why they chose Rudd for the role. I know he wasn't the obvious choice, but I'm glad they chose him, because it looks like he's going to be great in the movie.
"We wanted Scott Lang to have made mistakes that cost him dearly. But we wanted the audience to be rooting for him despite that. Paul Rudd can do almost anything and you’re still charmed by him."
Ya can't argue with that logic. I've always been a fan of Rudd's work, and it's cool to see him take on such a radical shrinking role. It was cool to get a glimpse at the visual effects in the recently-released teaser trailer, and when talking about the effects, Reed says:
"What we’re doing is very different from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. It’s going to be much more experiential."
Co-producer Brad Winderbaum explains that they will be using macro photography and motion-capture technology to make these effects pop:
"There are cameras and lenses that make small areas look like the most epic landscapes. Then we’re shooting motion capture with Paul to insert Ant-Man into those environments."
So of course Rudd and Stoll wore motion capture suits, and Stoll explains what all goes down when they're working in the suits on set:
"The director shouts out, ‘And now you’re gonna get punched on the left side of your face!’ ‘And now there’s a swarm of ants!’ It was a lot of fun."
There's no doubt that it will be fun to watch as well. The movie is set to be released on July 17th!