Marvel has been having all sorts of size-related fun as it kicked off the **Ant-Man **marketing campaign this week – a teeny, “ant-sized” teaser for the trailer (which itself is a relatively short teaser anyway) and now a poster featuring a tiny Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) in costume along with the teaser itself.
Clearly leaning into the idea that some in the audience will find the basic concept a little ridiculous (a suit that can shrink down to the size of an insect to fight crime?), this first proper look at the movie beyond test footage lets Paul Rudd voice a concern about the name of his heroic alter ego while also offering brief glimpses of how the shrinking system will work, moments of action and having Michael Douglas’ Hank Pym explain why he wanted him involved.
Pym, of course, is the inventor of the suit, the man who discovered the particles that let him shrink objects and people down. He recruits Scott for a heroic heist that will let them both save not their own world, but everyone else’s. And for Scott, whose criminal record is lengthening, it’s a chance for him to be the hero his daughter sees.
They’ll have to deal with Corey Stoll’s Darren Cross, who has his own plans for the tech with his more nefarious alter ego Yellowjacket. Also along for the ride are Evangeline Lilly, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Abby Ryder Fortson, Judy Greer, David Dastmalchian, Wood Harris, Gregg Turkington, T.I., and John Slattery, who returns as Howard Stark in flashbacks.
There’s a definite feeling that director Peyton Reed (working from a script that has seen input from Anchorman’s Adam McKay and Rudd) is going for a more straightforward heroic story, but there will be plenty of comedy along for the ride. Expect to see more of Ant-Man in action as additional shots of the finished effects work shows up. The film will be out here on July 17.
[[Poll1155]]