Leyla Gulen sits down with stars of Marvel's 'Ant-Man'

BURBANK, Calif. (KGO) -- When it comes to superheroes, good things do come in small packages. ABC7 News reporter Leyla Gulen traveled to Walt Disney Studios in Burbank to meet up with the stars of the newest addition to the Marvel Universe - "Ant-Man."

Forget what you ever knew about ants. If there's one thing you should know, it's that there's more to this Avenger than meets the eye.

Set against the beautiful backdrop of San Francisco, Ant-Man can shrink to the size of a subatomic insect, with the help of a bionic serum.

The smaller Ant-Man gets, the stronger he becomes.

Ant-Man is played by the loveable Paul Rudd, who also co-wrote the screenplay with his friend and "Anchorman" writer, Adam McKay.

"We were making it our own. And it helped, when I was even shooting it, because I felt like I knew the story so much more," Rudd said.

The story is not only about Ant-Man saving the world. Rudd's character, who starts off as the flawed Scott Lang, is a man just trying to be a good father to his young daughter.

However, being chosen to have super-human powers doesn't hurt.

Gulen: What was it like putting on that suit?

Rudd: The first time I put on the suit, I was like a kid standing in front of the mirror. There was a scene in the movie where I put it on and I'm stepping into a bathtub and I'm looking at myself in the mirror. It's impossible not to feel heroic in that thing.

Michael Douglas plays Dr. Hank Pym, the physicist and inventor behind the Ant-Man recipe known as Pym's Particles.

This character is a slight departure from his more usual roles.

Gulen: You've played some heavies: greedy, manipulative, even flamboyant. What was it like playing such a good guy in the face of evil?

Douglas: A pleasure, just a pleasure. I'm a pussy cat at heart. Playing a good guy, it's nice after a while.

It's not just Douglas' softer side that we can see in this film. Director Peyton Reed tells us this project, which caps the latest phase of the Marvel releases, has something for everyone.

"Our movie is a more intimate movie by design. It's really about families. It's really about these two fathers trying to be a part of their daughters' lives. That was appealing. Instead of going bigger, let's literally go smaller," Reed said.

Marvel's "Ant-Man" hit theaters on Friday.

The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of Marvel Entertainment and ABC7.