You might remember that, back at Comic-Con in 2012, Edgar Wright showed off some test footage from his version of Ant-Man. He may no longer be attached, but that didn’t stop Kevin Feige and co. bringing another look at the miniaturised hero now the film is finally about to shoot.
Of course, given the mixed response to the news about Wright’s departure and word that Bring It On director Peyton Reed would be taking over the job, Marvel didn’t take questions during its panel. And the talent from the film – Reed, Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll and Evangeline Lilly – doing their best to drum up excitement for the film in its current incarnation. Reed, in particular, established his geek cred, since this is his 20th Comic-Con.
With filming due to kick off soon in Atlanta, there was no actual footage from the film itself to show. But that’s where test footage comes in handy. Featuring voice-over with Douglas’s scientist Hank Pym attempting to recruit Rudd’s chancer Scott Lang to his cause and raging against “stupid” superheroes, our first look is at an old-fashioned lab, with tubes bubbling and wires crackling. Then we cut to Lang in the suit – helmet on, running from mysterious pursuers. Pym is trying to advise him how to control the malfunctioning helmet unit and telling him he’ll be able to talk to insects. That is put to the test as a flying ant lands and Lang tries to communicate with it. No dice.
Pym tells Lang to jump and he does, falling until one of a swarm of ants in mid-air picks him up. And... we’re out. It’ll take more to win people over, but it’s a start, and now Marvel will have to work on the momentum.