Ant-Man type Movie

STARRING Paul Rudd, Corey Stoll, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas DIRECTED BY Peyton Reed NOT YET RATED RELEASE DATE July 17

They say a film is only as good as its villain, but maybe they should change that to a villain and his suit. In Marvel’s Ant-Man, Paul Rudd plays jailbird-turned-superhero Scott Lang, who has the power to shrink himself and control his six-legged namesakes, thanks to gear designed by inventor Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). But Lang’s armor is positively pacifist compared with the more advanced suit worn by the nefarious Darren Cross, a.k.a. Yellowjacket (Corey Stoll). “Hank Pym’s Ant-Man suit doesn’t have a single weapon,” says director Peyton Reed (Yes Man), “whereas Yellowjacket is armed with plasma cannons.”

That would make the first big showdown between the foes, pictured here, a decided mismatch, right? Maybe not. “Ant-Man is very fast when he’s small,” he says. “Also, when he shrinks, he increases his density, so he’s got increased strength.” (Not to mention that ant-whispering power, which plays a crucial role in Lang’s attempt to steal Yellowjacket’s garb.)

To film this encounter, the costars wore motion-capture suits and were shot separately. “It was a new experience as far as the motion-capture-suit-ness of it,” says Rudd, who is better known on screen for cracking wise than cracking heads. “But none of it feels that different. Every part, I’m pretending to be somebody I’m not. It’s all just a big lie!”

Speaking of untruths, Reed insists Internet reports that he recently reshot some of the film are just that. “I love turning on the computer in the morning and reading the things that I did the day before—that I didn’t do!” he says. “We are going to do a little bit of additional photography, but we have not done any yet. It’s minor stuff.” To sum up: Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill. Or an anthill.

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