“Ant-Man” may be small in stature but it is big in star power, as the Hollywood premiere for Marvel’s latest movie offering proved on Monday.
Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lilly all walked the red carpet at the Dol
Despite recent concern over his health, comic book legend and former president/chairman of Marvel Comics Stan Lee was among the A-list guests at the premiere. The 92-year-old looked fighting fit as he smiled for the cameras following a report on TMZ that he had been “taken from his Hollywood Hills home to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center” on Sunday.
“The only reason I came was to see my cameo,” Lee told reporters on the red carpet Monday.
Rudd plays Scott Lang, who gains the power to shrink in size and increase in power when he obtains the “Ant-Man” costume. He has to channel his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym (Douglas), to save the world.
Hayley Atwell, Bobby Canavale, Judy Greer, Corey Stoll, Adam McKay and John Slattery round out the cast. Peyton Reed directs “Ant-Man” from a screenplay by Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish.
“Lost” actress Lilly — who is currenlty pregnant with her second child — plays Hope Van Dyne, the daughter of Pym and The Wasp, Janet Van Dyne, in the movie, and at the premiere she posed with her onscreen father, Douglas.
Lilly is hoping that this won’t be her last role with the Marvel family. ”I would love to see [her join the Avengers]. Hope is a very, very capable, intelligent and, to a certain extent, lethal woman, even in her own right, without any superhero powers,” she told ContactMusic. “I think everyone who signs with Marvel has to sign a multi-picture deal. I’m just crossing my fingers that that turns into something, that they ask me back and that I have to do more movies.”
Rapper T.I., “American Idol” alum Chris Daughtry also attended the premiere.
“Ant-Man” is poised to maintain Marvel’s streak of No. 1 openings intact with a box-office debut in the $55 million-$60 million range on July 17 weekend, according to pre-release tracking.
That’s an impressive number for the film based on a diminutive hero far less well-known than other Marvel comic book characters like Spider-Man, Thor, Iron Man and the Hulk. “Ant-Man” is on track to mimic last summer’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which also broke out despite a similar low profile.
If “Ant-Man” delivers as expected, it will be the 12th consecutive Marvel movie to open on top since “Iron Man” began the streak in 2008. “Avengers: Age of Ultron” continued the run when it opened in first place in May and has gone on to top $1 billion at the worldwide box office.
“Ant-Man” hits theaters on July 17.
The gang's all here! From the cast + crew, thanks for watching the #AntManPremiere! See #AntMan in theaters July 17. pic.twitter.com/bggRaL3dV3
— Ant-Man (@AntMan) June 30, 2015
A few of the “Ant-Man” stars also weighed in on NBC dumping Donald Trump over his comments about the Latin population. Watch the video below to find out what Douglas and his co-stars had to say on the issue.