Top 10 Ant-Man Movie Facts

Ant-Man director Peyton Reed, mostly known for his work on comedies, was actually sought by Marvel Studios for another project – 2014's “Guardians of the Galaxy”. Marvel ultimately decided to give that film's reins to James Gunn, but Reed evidently was not forgotten. When original writer-director Edgar Wright departed due to conflict, Reed was called upon to fill the suddenly vacant role.

Borne of co-writers Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish's past deal with Artisan Pictures, the theme of one generation passing responsibility to another is integral to the film's plot. Executive producer Kevin Feige has stated that “Ant-Man” will be concerned with original hero Hank Pym passing along the titular mantle to newcomer Scott Lang, portrayed by Michael Douglas and Paul Rudd respectively. What's interesting is that, like many of Marvel Studios' endeavours, this narrative matches its comic-book counterpart; the comics' incarnation of Dr. Pym, being the first Ant-Man, also permitted Lang to act as his successor.

The Marvel universe's smallest hero certanly doesn't lack for powers. The Ant-Man armour, as portrayed in the film and established in the comics, has three distinct effects: shrinking the wearer down to ant size, imbuing said wearer with immense strength, and granting them the power to speak to insects. This is achieved via Pym Particles, manufactured particles that also shrink down other objects, any gadgets and weapons Ant-Man may require. Seems like any trouble Scott Lang finds himself in, the armour will be there to help.

The road to get Ant-Man to the silver screen has been a lengthy one – really lengthy, it seems. As the story goes, Ant-Man's creator Stan Lee sought to get a film based on the hero produced, pitching such an idea to New World Entertainment at some point in the late 1980s. New World considered but ultimately declined the pitch, stating that the story felt too similar to that of 1989's “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”, and thus the film was shelved for two decades.

Apparently Marvel's sense of humour extends to marketing their movies. In January 2015, the studio began the push to promote “Ant-Man” with all sorts of media – interviews, talk show appearances and posters. But its most bold, and perhaps amusing, act was releasing a preview for their teaser trailer... that was ant-sized. The teaser-for-a-teaser consisted of video footage scaled down to a barely visible size, set to intense fully-audible music. The result is a cheeky nod to the small stature of the titular hero, and further proof that Marvel gets the concept of levity.

For every hero, there must be a villain – and thus for every ant, there's a yellowjacket. Specifically, actor Corey Stoll has been cast as Darren Cross, who in this incarnation takes on the mantle of the supervillain Yellowjacket. In the film, Cross is a former student of Hank Pym who takes over Pym's company and uses the Ant-Man technology to create a yellow-and-black variant of the armour. Similar power sets, similar insect themes – we're eager to see what happens when Yellowjacket and Ant-Man inevitably collide.

Each Marvel film has relied on the structure of genre, and in a way this is no different. Kevin Feige has said that “Ant-Man” will fit the mould of a heist movie – interesting, considering that the comic version of Scott Lang started as a bank robber. There's a twist to this, however: the film's version of Hank Pym is endorsing Lang's criminal activities, in the hopes of stealing back his research before it's used with ill intent. This kind of necessary evil can be interesting if done right, and we certainly hope it pays off.

Thanks to advancements in filmmaking, Ant-Man's powers can now be conveyed in full. Co-producer Brad Winderbaum has mentioned that in order to portray shrinking characters, they will be using macro photography for extreme close-ups on objects – making small places look epic and enormous in scope. Motion capture is then used to insert Paul Rudd and other actors into these environments, allowing the filmmakers to construct scenes accordingly. Suffice to say, it's quite the impressive setup.

Scripts have a tendency to change with the project. So when Edgar Wright departed, the decision was made to alter his existing script – enter Adam McKay. Known for his work on “Saturday Night Live” and various comedy films, this experienced writer-director went about altering or adding details to the script, with assistance from Paul Rudd. The duo has stated that while certain characters and scenes have been reworked, the original script by Wright and Cornish remains the film's framework.


Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

Ant-Man's helmet based on Iron Man and Bumblebee from Transformers

The film will be shot in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio

First production filmed at Pinewood Atlanta Studios' sound stages

Edgar Wright originally pitched the film in 2003

John Slattery is reprising his role as Howard Stark

Originally, “Ant-Man” was set to commence Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, leaving “Avengers: Age of Ultron” as the conclusion to Phase Two. However, Kevin Feige announced in October 2014 that “Ant-Man” would instead be the sixth and final film in Phase Two, claiming that its focus on Hank Pym's lineage and the theme of heroes rising from unexpected stations was linked to the decision. Whatever the case, it makes us eager to see the end result.

Do you agree with our list? What detail about the production of Ant-Man has got you excited? For more varying-sized Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.