Michael Douglas Ant-Man excitement

The Hollywood actor plays the genius inventor and retired superhero Hank Pym opposite Paul Rudd – who portrays the titular character – in Marvel’s upcoming blockbuster, however, he admitted that he had never heard of his character before seeing the film script and was delighted to discover he has such an integral role in Marvel’s history, including being one of the founding members of The Avengers.The 70-year-old star said: “I’m excited to be a part of it! I was given a whole bunch of comics to see and understand, and still I didn’t realise how important Hank Pym was to The Avengers. It’s been fun. Someone was just telling me that the trailer’s just gone onto the internet and it’s got millions of hits already. It’s wild.”

The ‘Wall Street’ actor was motivated to accept the part because he has never appeared in a superhero movie throughout his illustrious career.

Speaking to Total Film magazine, he explained: “Some people ask me what new things I’d like to try. Well I hadn’t done any green-screen pictures. These guys are impressive. It’s a fascinating process. I got to watch the different units, the visial-effects and the macro unit in this particular case, dealing with this incredible angle from the Ant’s point of view, which is just such a trip when you see it … It’s just mind blowing.

On working with his co-star, Douglas added: “Paul (Rudd) is a lovely guy. He’ll be very, very effective. The whole Marvel world, it’s something else. We’re preparing for weeks of promotion, going around the world. And it’s nice to have your trailer on the adventures!”

‘Ant-Man‘ is due for release on July 17.