'Ant-Man' Prequel Would Tell Hank Pym's Story: Director Peyton Reed

Filmmaker Peyton Reed would not only love to do a sequel but also a prequel to “Ant-Man.” He has reportedly developed a liking for the "Ant-Man" characters, especially Hank Pym, and would like to tell Pym's story in a prelude.

“Listen, if we were lucky enough to be able to do a sequel or even a prequel, I'd be way into it. I've really fallen in love with these characters. I was always in love with the characters in the comic book world but there's a lot of story to tell with Hank Pym,” Reed told Comicbook.

In the comics, Pym is a scientist who turns into Ant-Man and gains the power to shrink to the size of an insect. He is a founding member of the Avengers and, along with his partner Janet Van Dyne (the Wasp), he assumes identities of Yellowjacket, Giant-Man and Goliath. The character first appeared in “The Man in the Ant Hill,” where he is shown as a character who tests the shrinking technology and has insects and ants chasing him. Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby have created the character.

Michael Douglas will play Pym in “Ant-Man.” He will act as a mentor to thief Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), who will help Pym safeguard the Ant-Man technology. When Douglas was offered the role, he was excited by the prospect of joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

“I just wanted to do one of these pics, you know. Just, I’ve never done, you know, my entire career is a lot of movies that have just been contemporary stories. So, this to me was just the excitement of saying 'Hey, this is great. I want to get into the Marvel world,' you know. I want to taste the Kool-Aid,” Douglas told Screen Rant.

“Ant-Man” opens July 17. Reed has directed from a screenplay by Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Adam McKay and Rudd. Kevin Feige is the producer.