"Ant-Man"
Marvel's "Ant-Man," starring Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas, will give its first trailer its debut during ABC's "Agent Carter" Jan. 6, 2015. Marvel.com

It may be hard to look past the titan that is “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” but, fortunately, Marvel has still got plans for films through 2019 that begin with the release of the long-awaited “Ant-Man” movie. Now, the studio has released its first teaser footage for the new flick -- sort of.

To announce the first “Ant-Man” trailer, set to premiere Tuesday, the studio released an ant-size, 17-second teaser, as noted by Entertainment Weekly. The teaser, posted below, technically shows the first footage of the film, but it’s so tiny that to appreciate it you’d need to either hold a magnifying glass up to your screen or be an ant. So far, no ants have commented on the teaser footage. (Luckily, Marvel later released a full-size version of the teaser, also posted below.)

That doesn’t mean there won’t be a bevy of people commenting on the human-size trailer once it comes out next week. “Ant-Man” has been in production limbo since 2006 when “The World’s End” director Edgar Wright signed on to write and direct. The movie script went through several drafts before Wright left the project in May of last year, citing creative differences with the studio, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Soon afterward, director Peyton Reed was brought on to direct the Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas flick.

The plot focuses on Scott Lang (Rudd), a con man, as he helps his mentor Hank Pym (Douglas). Pym has created a supersuit that allows the person wearing it to shrink in size but increase his or her strength. With the help of Pym’s technology and Lang’s expertise, the two must pull off a heist that will save the world.

In the comic books, “Ant-Man” is one of the original members of “The Avengers.” In fact, he’s responsible for the creation of the forthcoming James Spader-voiced villain Ultron. Because “Ant-Man” isn’t premiering until after “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” however, the mythology has been changed by Marvel Studios. This means that “Ant-Man” will exist within the Marvel Cinematic Universe of “The Avengers,” “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and more. In the comic books, Ant-Man can control not only his size but also small insects.

Fans will finally get a chance to see Rudd and company in action when the studio releases the first footage during Marvel’s “Agent Carter” on ABC Jan. 6. In addition, the studio will show a second trailer for “Avengers: Age of Ultron” during college-football coverage on ESPN Jan. 12. “Ant-Man” is scheduled to hit theaters July 17.

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