Shrinking Buddies

The buzz is audible. Marvel’s miniature hero returns – and this time he’s got a partner. As Ant-Man And The Wasp gets ready to fly into cinemas, Total Film visits the set to talk with the cast and crew about putting the laughs back into the MCU.

- James Mottram

September, 2017. Total Film has decamped to Pinewood Atlanta Studios on a scorching hot day. Located deep in the bowels of the labyrinthine building is the shoot for Ant-Man And The Wasp, Peyton Reed’s sequel to his own 2015 movie Ant-Man, which first introduced Paul Rudd’s ex-con Scott Lang to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Today, just to confuse any prying eyes, all signs on the walls are titled ‘Cherry Blue’.

Wearing headphones around his neck, the genial Reed cracks a smile. “It’s a little bit of an obscure reference,” he says, explaining it comes from Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, a late-night comedy show on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. John C. Reilly plays the dumb-ass Dr. Steve Bruhle, who wants to buy a cherry red-coloured car. Instead, they sell him a clapped-out banger – painted ‘cherry blue’. “We liked it,” Reed says. “It felt like the vibe of our movie.”

After the traumatic end to Avengers: Infinity War – in which Ant-Man was conspicuously absent – a sense of humour could be just what the doctor (Strange?) ordered. “We have a more comedic tone, without going over the top,” says Michael Douglas, the star who returns as inventor extraordinaire Hank Pym. “It’s not as dark as the other Marvel movies.” Some light relief before we get back to Thanos wiping away heroes like bugs on a windshield? Yes, please.