@ Comic-Con :: Saturday

Robert Nesti READ TIME: 6 MIN.

The "Ant-Man" cast is set.

Paul Rudd was previously revealed as the tiny title superhero. But at Marvel's Comic-Con panel Saturday, Evangeline Lilly confirmed she'll play Hope Pym. Michael Douglas plays her dad, Dr. Hank Pym. And Corey Stoll is set to play the villain Darren Cross, also known as Yellowjacket.

Rudd called the role "a mind-bender." Douglas said he'd long looked at Marvel films "from afar with tremendous envy" and was excited to join the comic-based world.

Director Peyton Reed, who took over for Edgar Wright after he exited over creative issues, has been coming to Comic-Con for 20 years and been an "Ant-Man" fan for even longer.

Rudd confessed in an interview after the panel that Wright's departure was "a bit intense" for the cast.

"It undoubtedly hit some speed bumps," Rudd said. "I'm just thrilled that we're at where we're at now. . And I know it will continue to evolve."

Lilly, who'd been keeping her casting a secret and denying it in Comic-Con interviews, said Wright "had been the guy to really rope us in. And his vision and his excitement and his passion and his ability as a filmmaker was part of the appeal, originally."

The cast still wants to honor his vision, she said.

"He really constructed the foundation and the backbone of what we are going to work from," she said. "And we just want to do right by him and make him proud."

Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige said production on the film, due in theaters next summer, is set to begin in two weeks. Even though shooting hasn't begun, filmmakers offered a peek at the film's look.

A brief clip showed Dr. Pym's laboratory and a diminutive superhero piloting a fly.

More 'Guardians'

"Guardians of the Galaxy" hasn't opened in theaters yet, but a sequel is already in the works.

Director James Gunn and star Chris Pratt announced the planned sequel Saturday during Marvel Studios' Comic-Con presentation.

"Guardians of the Galaxy" follows a motley team of otherworldly misfits, including a talking raccoon, led by Pratt's character. The film opens Friday.

The sequel is set for release on July 28, 2017.

4 DC Comics brought to TV get Comic-Con event

Four DC comics brought to life for television took over the San Diego Convention Center's 6,500 seat Hall H at Comic-Con on Saturday night.

"Arrow" star, Stephen Amell, hosted the extravaganza called "Warner Bros. Television Presents a Night of DC Entertainment."

He introduced actors Ben McKenzie, Grant Gustin and Matt Ryan before the world premiere of Fox's "Gotham," a screening of The CW's first episode of "The Flash" and footage from the upcoming third season of CW's "Arrow." At the end of the night, they played the pilot for NBC's "Constantine" for fans who sat through the three-hour event.

In the "Arrow" footage, it was revealed that DC villain Ra's al Ghul will appear in Season 3. The part has not yet been cast.

The hero character Ted Grant, known as Wildcat, will also be introduced.

Following the screenings, the cast and producers of all four shows participated in a panel session hosted by Geoff Johns of DC Comics.

"Gotham" premieres on FOX on Sept. 22, "The Flash" debuts Oct. 7 on The CW, "Arrow" returns to The CW on Oct. 8 and "Constantine" comes to NBC on Oct. 24.

'The Vampire Diaries' takes bite out of Comic-Con

Season 5 of The CW's "The Vampire Diaries" ended with characters Damon and Bonnie (played by Ian Somerhalder and Kat Graham) being separated from their loved ones as they enter a mysterious, purgatory-like dimension.

The cast returned to Comic-Con on Saturday where they played a video of Somerhalder and Graham wondering about their fate off-screen, now that their characters are trapped in oblivion. Are they off the show? Will they get a spin-off?

Somerhalder, Graham along with Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Matt Davis and showrunner Julie Plec attended the panel to tease the new season premiering Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. EDT.

"The Vampire Diaries" is a about vampires, werewolves, doppelgangers, witches and a few humans living in and around the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. It's loosely based on a book-series.

A few panel spoilers:

-Season 6 picks up about four months after the events of the finale.

-Davis' character Alaric, back from the dead and a full-time cast member again, is now a college professor.

-Plec doesn't see Dobrev's Elena turning to her former flame Stefan Salvatore for anything other than friendship, now that she's separated from Damon. "Right now the love between Damon and Elena is so strong," she said.

'Blacklist' fans get black fedoras at Comic-Con

Fans gathered for the panel for NBC's drama "The Blacklist" on Saturday received black fedoras, in honor of the character played by James Spader.

On "The Blacklist," Spader is Raymond "Red" Reddington, a fedora-wearing former fugitive who turns himself in to be an informant. The catch: He will only deal with rookie agent Elizabeth, played by Megan Boone.

As season one unfolded, speculation grew that Red could be Elizabeth's father.

On Saturday's panel, Spader, along with executive producers Jon Bokenkamp and John Eisendrath, wouldn't say much about the true nature of their relationship.

Bokenkamp acknowledged "that question is central to the conceit of the show" but said they wouldn't provide an answer right then.

Spader said he believes what's important is the character's relationship in present day.

There was also a casting announcement: Mary-Louise Parker has a recurring role with ties to Reddington.

"The Blacklist" returns for its second season Sept. 22.


by Robert Nesti , EDGE National Arts & Entertainment Editor

Robert Nesti can be reached at [email protected].

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