Michael Douglas wishes Marvel would just kill his Ant-Man character already
Douglas, who stars as Benjamin Franklin on Apple TV+, can see the very tiny writing on the wall
Aux News Ant-Man
Screenshot: Disney
Is it too much to give Michael Douglas what he wants? Early last year, he appeared in the much-derided Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania. Though one of the year’s highest-grossing movies, Quantumania acted like a canary in the coal mine for a flailing MCU. The film somehow crossed the superhero movie Rubicon, pushing the color brown to the limit and bringing to light the horrid working conditions of VFX artists in Disney-contracted special effects houses. It’s probably one of the reasons Hank Pym is embracing the sweet release of death.
While promoting Apple TV+’s Franklin (presumably the launching pad for the American Cinematic Universe) on The View, Douglas returned to an idea that’s been gnawing at him since Ant-Man And The Wasp: He wants his character dead. Douglas says that he actually suggested killing Pym off in Quantumania, but, you know, with a whole Kang Dynasty to set up and Corey Stoll’s M.O.D.O.K. to introduce, there wasn’t enough time for some “fantastic way” for Hank Pym to meet his maker. Perhaps it’s because Douglas wanted to use “all these great special effects” for his death scene that scared off the filmmakers.
The post-production process on Quantumania was reportedly a disaster. Special effects artists accused Marvel of “pixel-fucking” artists, forcing them to make significant changes to the film without budgeting for the increase in work. Artists worked 80-hour weeks to fix swaths of the film that Marvel wanted changed as staffers were moved to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which had taken priority. Still, Douglas wanted to “use all those effects” to kill Hank Pym, and now he isn’t sure if he’s showing for a fourth Ant-Man—not that anyone’s clamoring for one.
Douglas has been requesting that Kevin Feige allow Pym to shuffle off this mortal coil for two movies. While on the red carpet for Quantumania, he told The Hollywood Reporter that he’d return for a fourth movie “as long as I can die.” For his sake, we hope Feige greenlights a six-episode Disney+ series called Pym Particle Poisoning that grants Douglas his wish.
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Douglas says that he actually suggested killing Pym off in Quantumania, but, you know, with a whole Kang Dynasty to set up and Corey Stoll’s M.O.D.O.K. to introduce, there wasn’t enough time for some “fantastic way” for Hank Pym to meet his maker.Ah, hindsight truly is 20/20.
I hear Matt Berry has already been cast as Hindsight, so there’s no way they’re giving that part to Douglas at this point.
Bill Murray said the same with Ghostbusters movies in 2016. Guess every man needs to retile his bathroom
Bill Murray was almost but not quite cancelled a while back, so right now I bet he’s not turning down any big studio pictures while he hopes people forget just how many people called him out on being an arsehole. https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/10/everyone-who-has-publicly-accused-bill-murray-of-misconduct
It pains me to write this as well, and I’m not saying he should never work again, but some sort of apology seems like it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
yah I felt with Bill Murrary it was less public pile on, and more his coworkers sick of working with him and telling the public.
Michael Douglas had the best line in Quantumania: “I like ants.”
“Lotta ants” was my favorite. He was probably the best part of the movie, just kinda ambling around, mumbling about ants.
I know a lot of people hated this movie but I’d still take it over Thor 2, Iron Man 2, and Inside. I know that last on isn’t Marvel, but I hated it.
Inside?
Thor 2 I’ll give you, but I ride or die for Iron Man 2. Rockwell hamming it up, introduction of War Machine and of course, Mickey Rourke saying, “I vant my boord”
I think Iron Man 3 is severely overrated.
As far as this, it isn’t my favorite. But I had a good time.
I’ve only had a bad time watching one Feige MCU property and that’s Secret Invasion.
Liked because I agree with you that the only property that was a complete slog was Secret Invasion.
The Ants-Man will continue until morale improves
I mean, are we fooling ourselves for any purpose here? He’ll keep that tune right up to the moment Disney backs up the money truck for him, recasts the part, or just holds him in off-screen limbo until he wants another easy paycheck.
Feige should promise him the sweet release of death, but only on the condition that he agrees to play every alter ego Pym’s ever had. Ant-man, Giant-Man, Yellowjacket, Goliath, Pymtron… Feige could lock him down for another decade.
‘”Feige should promise him the sweet release of death, but only on the condition that he agrees to play every alter ego Pym’s ever had. Ant-man, Giant-Man, Yellowjacket, Goliath, Pymtron… Feige could lock him down for another decade.”’I’m pretty sure the unspoken truth is he just wants out of the MCU with no strings attached. So, he’d probably give that offer a hard-pass. But then again I’m not his agent what do I know.
I was poking fun at how many alter egos Pym has had in the comics, something that Marvel nerds like me have joked about for years. I was not being at all serious that Feige would make such an offer, let alone that Douglas would accept it.
Taking the Harrison Ford approach to his character, I see.
Ford wouldn’t need the money if he didn’t keep getting high and putting his Beaver in inappropriate places.
I mean it won’t be a glorious death but if Douglas really wants out I’m sure Ant-Man 4 can open with the characters leaving Pym’s funeral because he’s an old man and sometimes old folks just die. Please hire me, Disney for more million dollar ideas like this. I’ve got other ideas like “recasting roles for problematic actors” that might be too kerrrazy, but I promise I can rein those in if audiences just aren’t ready for wild ideas like that.
Michael Douglas is still alive?
That movie was a bloated, dour misery slog. It had none of the humour of the previous two movies, introduced villains that went absolutely nowhere just to have them pointlessly switch sides at the eleventh hour, and was stuffed full of needless CGI and famous voice-actor cameos.But enough about Guardians of the Galaxy 3, I rather enjoyed Quantumania.
Fine, leave asshole. Recast with Henry Winkler.Growing so tired of the genre of actors who had options pissing on roles. Don’t take the fucking job, then
4nt-m4n! The title is right there!
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Cuatromania
my suggestion is not to make ant man 4. (unless they have to recast the daughter a 4th time, which wold be funny.)
Given the obvious trope that Hank should die to “pass the torch” to the next generation, I was actually pleasantly surprised he even survived the first one, and it would be even more boring to kill him off now. BUT that doesn’t mean he needs to continue being in the movies. He’s old, let him retire. Especially now that he has his wife back. Let them move quietly to an ant farm upstate and enjoy a well-earned happy ending. Offscreen.
Why? Death doesn’t mean crap in the Marvel universe.,