The Ant-Man movies are not the highest-grossing entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but thanks to Paul Rudd’s reliable charms as a leading man, backed up by a strong supporting cast, the movies are plenty of fun. The sequences in the Quantum Realm are visually fascinating (and not to mention trippy), Luis’ unwieldy monologues are among the MCU’s funniest running gags, and the franchise’s Elmore Leonard-esque crime-caper sensibility sets it apart from Marvel’s other solo franchises.
A third Ant-Man movie is reportedly on the way, possibly to be released in 2022. So, here are 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The Ant-Man Movies.
Ant-Man and the Wasp’s truth serum gag was conceived to avoid repeating jokes
The writers of Ant-Man and the Wasp wanted to feature another scene in which Luis tells a long story with unnecessary details as we cut through a montage of everything he’s explaining, with everyone speaking in Michael Peña’s voice, because that was one of the most popular parts of the first movie.
But they didn’t want to just repeat the same joke. This is why they wrote in the scene in which Walton Goggins’ villain character, Sonny Burch, drugs Luis with truth serum. It was a different gag, but it still allowed them to write a lengthy, funny monologue for Peña.
Paul Rudd’s son thought Ant-Man sounded stupid
Apparently, when Paul Rudd first signed on to play Scott Lang in Ant-Man and told his nine-year-old son that he was going to play a superhero in a new Marvel movie called Ant-Man, his son told him, “Wow, I can’t wait to see how stupid that’ll be.”
That can’t have been too reassuring for the actor, but that didn’t stop him from committing wholeheartedly to the role. Rudd really bulked up to play Scott. According to Michael Douglas, the Ant-Man costume had to be refitted after Rudd completed his training, because his extra muscle mass didn’t fit into the suit.
The Quantum Tunnel is the largest physical set ever built for an MCU movie
It’s no secret that most of the things featured in MCU movies are computer-generated, from environments to backgrounds to technology to some characters to some characters’ costumes. But there’s also plenty of practical effects in the Marvel movies. The Quantum Tunnel and the laboratory that houses it, featured in Ant-Man and the Wasp, were on a giant handmade set.
This was the largest physical set ever built for an MCU movie. The unique aesthetic of both the Quantum Tunnel and the laboratory it’s in was heavily influenced by the look of Irwin Allen’s sci-fi series The Time Tunnel from the mid-‘60s.
The CG ants were designed to be friendlier than real ants
The computer-generated ants featured heavily in the two Ant-Man movies have been designed by the VFX people to look and act friendlier than ants do in real life. The visual effects team’s primary inspiration came from Saharan silver ants, which have longer legs than most ants, are able to use their front legs as arm-like limbs, and look shiny and armored due to their soft fur coating.
The crazy ants were based on puppies, which is why they’re so adorable. The bullet ants, which were given a heavier appearance than the other ants, were reportedly based on the movements and mannerisms of actor Ray Winstone.
Michelle Pfeiffer was always the top choice to play Janet van Dyne
Janet van Dyne didn’t show her face until the second Ant-Man movie. She was featured in a flashback in the first film, but her face was shrouded by the Wasp mask. The casting and VFX team responsible for putting Janet’s eyes in the mask were told that the top choice for the role was Michelle Pfeiffer, and that they should model the computer-generated Janet after her.
According to director Peyton Reed, “Michelle was always my dream casting for that role, and that was even before we knew we’d be making a second movie.” She was also at the top of Evangeline Lilly’s wish list for the casting of Janet in the sequel.
Michael Douglas took the role of Hank Pym to impress his kids
Michael Douglas claims that he took the role of Hank Pym to impress his kids with a movie that they could actually watch: “Most importantly, I did it for my children. They’re so excited. I’ve finally got a picture that they are so excited about. Dad is cool. You have to understand, for most of my career, I’ve done so many R-rated pictures. They can never see any of my movies. Just recently, at 14 and 12, they’re becoming more aware of some of the things that I’ve done. So, this is a lot of fun.”
When it came to making the sequel, director Peyton Reed promised Douglas that he’d have more to do than just spout exposition.
Paul Rudd actually learned closeup magic for Ant-Man and the Wasp
For the running joke in Ant-Man and the Wasp, Paul Rudd actually learned closeup magic. The actor explained, “I really did learn some of the magic. I haven’t really kept it up. But then again, trying to learn to be really good at magic in a short amount of time is like trying to learn violin in a short amount of time.”
Marvel fans have joked that they’d like to see Scott Lang team up with the MCU’s other magical heroes, like Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch. Seeing him perform card tricks alongside the Masters of the Mystic Arts would be hilarious, to be fair.
Chipotle and Jamba Juice were considered for the Baskin-Robbins scene
In the opening act of Ant-Man, after Scott Lang is released from prison, he has a brief stint working at Baskin-Robbins, before his boss finds out about his criminal record. Originally, Scott was supposed to get a job at Chipotle, but the company objected to the script making fun of their brand. Jamba Juice was also considered, but this fell through.
In the end, the producers settled on Baskin-Robbins when they realized that the bright, vibrant colors of a Baskin-Robbins outlet would contrast comically with the gritty realism of the prison-set opening scene. It does contribute to the juxtaposition of the cut.
Laurence Fishburne’s son played the younger version of his character
The Ant-Man movies have famously played around with digital de-aging. A year before Rogue One brought Peter Cushing back to life and made Carrie Fisher look like she did in 1977, 2015’s Ant-Man gave us a younger Michael Douglas and John Slattery, and an older Hayley Atwell, all within the same opening prologue.
But Ant-Man and the Wasp did something interesting with the flashback scenes featuring a younger version of Dr. Bill Foster, the character played by The Matrix trilogy’s Laurence Fishburne. Rather than de-aging Fishburne, they gave the role of younger Bill Foster to the actor’s son, Langston Fishburne.
Edgar Wright was initially set to direct Ant-Man
Edgar Wright was originally slated to helm the first Ant-Man movie. He worked on the script with Joe Cornish on and off for about eight years before he departed the project. The Shaun of the Dead director initially started work on the film as a standalone piece, before the MCU began with Iron Man, and he found it tough adapting to the shared universe.
Wright explained, “[Marvel] wanted to do a draft without me…Suddenly becoming a director for hire on it, you’re sort of less emotionally invested and you start to wonder why you’re there, really.” So, he departed from the movie and Marvel hired Peyton Reed instead.
