LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 24: (L-R) Michael Douglas, Hannah John-Kamen, Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Laurence Fishburne, Peyton Reed, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and Kara Warner speak onstage at Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man And The Wasp” Global Junket Press Conference on June 24, 2018 in Los Angeles, United States. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

Everybody knows by now that Ant-Man is one of my favorites heroes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe aside from Iron Man. I’m so excited and can’t wait until this film opens on the big screen. This time around Ant-Man is not coming alone, he is accompanied by a sassy and strong female, The Wasp.

I had the pleasure to attend the Global Press Conference who took place on June 24^th at Pasadena, CA. Actors Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Hannah John-Kamen and Laurence Fishburne were there alongside with the director Peyton Reed and Marvel’s President Kevin Feige.

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP hist theaters on July 6!

Here is a compilation of you need to know about ANT-MAN AND THE WASP:

Paul Rudd & the Script

Paul Rudd (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

As he did with the first movie, Paul Rudd helped write the film, but did that mean he gets all the best lines? “Paul’s as generous a writer as he is an actor,” said director Peyton

Reed. “Paul always has the whole picture in mind, writing and acting.”

For Paul, he kept it humble. “I try to think of the film as a whole, but I will say this, this has been a collaborative effort more than anything I’ve ever worked on. To think I wrote it would be a gross overstatement.”

The Quantum Realm

Feige kept his cards close to his vest regarding the importance of the Quantum Realm in future movies, simply saying Marvel loves to introduce new toys and, “where and how they pay off in the near term, long term, remains to be seen.”

Regarding their understanding of quantum physics, Michael Douglas joked he’d “have to read the script” to understand going sub-atomic in real life. On the other hand, Evangeline Lilly said she’s always been interested in the topic and “it’s one of the reasons why I was excited about this brand.” She proceeded to talk about atoms at length and she knew what she was talking about it.

Becoming The Wasp

Evangeline Lilly (Photo by Jana On Camera)

Lilly revealed The Wasp was originally supposed to make her debut in Captain America: Civil War, but the powers the be decided to dedicate a movie to her origin movie instead with this one. She didn’t learn that she’d get double billing in the title until she got an e-mail of the title artwork.

The Wasp was going to be introduced in Civil War… secretly I was like, she’s not going to get an origins film, it’s ok, I’m just toked to be here. Then I got a call saying we’ve decided not to put you in Civil War… “don’t be offended” and then “because we really want to dedicate a film”

“I loved being a blade runner,” Lilly said of the scene from the trailer where The Wasp literally runs down the side of a knife during a fight. “I love the kind of element of having someone who’s completely in jeopardy, but also completely in control. You can see her have an ‘Oh s**t moment, but then she’s completely in control the next moment.” She added that her character was “rearing to get into that suit for an entire movie, so to actually see her fighting in that moment was wonderful.”

As for who she’d love to interact with in the future, Lilly said she used to say The Hulk, but after seeing that Ant-Man and The Wasp can go giant now, “that’s out.” She added that she has a personal crush on Okoye from Black Panther and would love to hang out with actress Danai Gurira. She also said she wants to keep “the rumor and gossip of an all-female Avengers film going,” as Feige joked that it’s “all coming together.”

Michelle Pfeiffer

Michael Douglas said he had been a longtime fan of Michelle Pfeiffer, but had never worked with her before. He added he was “totally ecstatic” to have her join this film, something which became even better when he learned she’d be his wife and they’d appear “30 years younger” together in at least one scene in the film.

In the film, Rudd has to channel the actress for reasons we won’t spoil. “I feel like I’ve been doing it for years,” joked Rudd. “We kept calling it the ‘All of Me’ sequence. This seems like a fairly big swing, it was surreal to say the least. As an actor, you have to buy into the scenario, but at the same time, as me being me and Michael being Michael, and I have my hand tenderly to his cheek … we giggled a few times.” He added that Pfeiffer wasn’t there on set to witness Rudd try and do his best Michelle impression.

Ant-Man Takes Over San Francisco

When asked about the most difficult sequence to shoot, Reed pointed to a car chase throughout the city of San Francisco. He said it’s unlike anything in another other movie, with not just the two title characters changing sizes throughout it, but buildings, cars and more. His goal was to make something “specific to that city” — and they really paid it off.

Are the Villains Bad Guys? Not Necessarily

Hannah John-Kamen stressed that she wasn’t trying to play a bad guy as the mysterious Ghost in the film, but as a well-rounded character. Lilly then brought up the lesson she tried to instill in her 7-year-old son, who she says “loves violent movies.” “When he talks about good guys and bad guys, I try and clarify for him, there really is no such thing as bad guys,” she said. She stressed that the “good guy” should try and help the villain “redeem” themselves. “it doesn’t mean you should attack them,” she added, “maybe you should try and understand them first.”

About the film

From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes ANT-MAN AND THE WASP, a new chapter featuring heroes with the astonishing ability to shrink. In the aftermath of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, Scott Lang grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to rebalance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he’s confronted by Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside the Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from the past.

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP is directed by Peyton Reed and stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena, Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Tip “T.I.” Harris, David Dastmalchian, Hannah John Kamen, Abby Ryder-Fortson, Randall Park, with Michelle Pfeiffer, with Laurence Fishburne and Michael Douglas.