Michael Douglas Headshot - P 2014
AP ImagesMichael Douglas is doing his first comic book movie.
The 69-year-old actor, who yesterday won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Liberace in HBO’s Behind the Candelabra, will play opposite Paul Rudd in Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man.
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Douglas will play scientist Hank Pym in the Edgar Wright-helmed film, set to be released on July 31, 2015.
“With Hank Pym’s rich history in the Marvel Universe, we knew we needed an actor capable of bringing the weight and stature to the role that the character deserves,” said Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige on the company’s website, Marvel.com. “We felt incredibly relieved when Michael Douglas agreed to step in to the part with the charm and fortitude he brings to every character he inhabits, and couldn’t be more excited to see what he will do to bring Hank Pym to life.”
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The casting clears up who Rudd will play in the movie since Ant-Man has been the alter ego of both Pym, a scientist who discovers particles that allow a person to change size, and Scott Lang, a reformed thief who steals the technology in order to save his ill daughter. Marvel has been tight-lipped in regards to which story its movie was focusing on until this latest casting revelation, in which the studio also confirmed that leading man Rudd will portray Lang.
