Michael Douglas ("Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps") is doing press for his new film Beyond The Reach, which will land in theaters and VOD in two months, and of course he will have to field a few questions here and there for Marvel's Ant-Man. That brings us to his recent interview with Entertainment Weekly who wanted to know if Douglas had any offers in the past to be in a superhero film; if Edgar Wright's departure from Ant-Man had an effect on him, and how his youngsters like their dad's Marvel role.
You’ve also joined the Marvel behemoth, co-starring in the upcoming Ant-Man. You’ve been a star since the original Superman blockbusters, so I imagine you’re been called once or twice over the years to join one of these franchises before. Had you ever flirted with another?
No. I can’t say I was really offered anything in those vein. I certainly enjoy it now. For me, it reaches another audience, people who maybe aren’t familiar with me. It’s fun to do a big-budgeted movie after scraping and scratching along with a lot of these indies, these labors of love. To be in a picture that’s got a built-in audience and has the tide going with you. I’m ready for it, after struggling and fighting for pictures that you believed in, that are maybe off the beaten path.
And I imagine your youngest kids are excited about it too.
Oh, it’s like I haven’t done anything in my life before Ant-Man. There are so few movies that I could show them when they were growing, because all my pictures were R rated. For years, they thought their mom was the actress and I made pancakes.
I think when you signed on, it was Edgar Wright’s film, but then of course, Peyton Reed came on. Did that change anything for you?
Not really. I wasn’t directly involved with the script. As far as Hank Pym, that was pretty established from the comic books. For me personally it didn’t [change]. I’m sure tonally and everything for Paul [Rudd]—it’s never pleasant and never easy when those changes happen. Though I think they made it as smooth as possible.
ANT-MAN - The next evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings a founding member of The Avengers to the big screen for the first time with Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man.” Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.
Ant-Man hits theaters July 17, 2015. It's being directed by Peyton Reed from a script written by Adam McKay and Paul Rudd. Story by Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish. The cast: Evangeline Lilly will play Hope Pym, the daughter of Hank Pym, while Corey Stoll will play Darren Cross, a.k.a. Yellowjacket, the antagonist of the film. The two join stars Paul Rudd (Scott Lang) and Michael Douglas (Hank Pym).