Michael Douglas signed on to play Dr. Hank Pym in Marvel Studios' Ant-Man all the way back in January of 2014 , and at the time noted that he had spent a whole wanting to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That being said, it seems that the true gravity of his situation didn't actually hit him until a few months later, because the actor has revealed that it was the experience of watching James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy that opened his eyes to the specialness of his own upcoming superhero film.
In advance of Ant-Man's arrival in theaters next month, Marvel.com has published an extensive piece about Michael Douglas and his role in the upcoming blockbuster - and it's in this article that the actor is quoted expressing his appreciation for the company's big 2014 space opera. It was evidently after having his experience seeing Guardians of the Galaxy that he was able to really reflect on the film he was about to make and see the incredible potential in it. Said Douglas,
It was just after seeing Guardians of the Galaxy in IMAX 3D, and it blew my mind. I loved it. I loved the sense of humor. I looked at the Ant-Man script and saw the tone being set - the sense of adventure with a comedic twist.
What Michael Douglas is identifying here, of course, is actually what's made Marvel Studios stand out in the world of comic book movies. While those behind the DC Comics properties at Warner Bros. have steered those projects in a more dark and brooding direction, it's been a big part of Marvel's strategy to try and keep things fun and comedic. Guardians of the Galaxy is arguably Marvel's best film yet showing off the great things that can be done with this tone, but the truth is that the company has been hitting that mark since 2008's Iron Man.
On beyond his experience watching Guardians of the Galaxy, Michael Douglas also found himself excited to be a part of Ant-Man simply because he had never really gotten to be a part of a project quite like it in his career. Last year I joined a small group of journalists to visit the set of the film while it was still in production, and it was while interviewing the actor about his part that he expressed his happiness at the chance to spice up his filmography. He explained,
My entire career, which is a lot of movies, has just been contemporary stories with no special effects, no nothing. Just psychological, real stories. This film, to me, was just excitement. This is great. I wanted to get into the Marvel world, you know? I want to taste the Kool-Aid.
Hopefully the finished product will live up to Michael Douglas' high expectations!
