Edgar Wright has promised that his long-awaited Ant-Man movie will be special-effects heavy and a unique origins tale. The character, whose real name is Henry Pym, is a brilliant scientist who can alter his size and control ants using a special helmet, he is also a founding member of The Avengers.
The director has also revealed that his recent experience of working with CGI (The World’s End, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) will allow Ant-Man to become a richer and more rewarding experience. Wright is confident that the comic book adaptation will not only become an integral aspect of Marvel’s film universe, but will also work sufficiently as a standalone piece.
Here’s the scoop from IGN:
“It’s a way of doing a superhero film within another genre. I wanted to tell an origin tale in a slightly different way. It’s part of the Marvel cinematic universe, but it also feels like its own piece.”
“But to be honest, the later I do it, it feels like I could learn more, especially about special effects. It’s a big effects movie, so I’m pleased to go into it having done Scott Pilgrim and The World’s End because you’re always learning more about that side.”
In my opinion, Ant-Man has never truly been a worthwhile member of the Avengers; his abilities are considerably less spectacular than the likes of Captain America and Thor etc, and Pym’s scientist persona pales in comparison to both Bruce Banner and Tony Stark.
It’s a struggle to comprehend the need for this character within the current Avengers universe, but given Edgar Wright’s excellent and much stylised pedigree, I’m sure the film will be a resounding critical success. The project has the potential to be spectacular, though its major downfall may be an over-reliance on CGI, which may detract from the narrative.
Only time will tell whether the character is capable of capturing the imagination of global audiences.
Ant-Man is part of Marvel’s Phase Three film line-up and is due for release in 2015.
