NEWS UPDATE: Michael Douglas Joins Ant-Man, The Avengers Sequel Casts New Villain, Jurassic World Casts Lead

Here are the latest news headlines:

• Michael Douglas to Play Hank Pym in Marvel’s ANT-MAN
• Thomas Kretschmann to Star as Villain in THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
• Chris Pratt Cast as Lead in JURASSIC WORLD

Read More after the jump.

Michael Douglas to Play Hank Pym in Marvel’s ANT-MAN

Michael Douglas has joined the cast of Marvel's upcoming film "Ant-Man" directed by Edgar Wright ("The World's End"). Douglas will star as Hank Prym alongside Paul Rudd who will play Scott Lang. Both are versions of the superhero Ant-Man, one from the 1960s and one from the present-day. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige gave a few more details about this casting decision:

"With Hank Pym’s rich history in the Marvel Universe, we knew we needed an actor capable of bringing the weight and stature to the role that the character deserves,” said Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. “We felt incredibly relieved when Michael Douglas agreed to step into the part with the charm and fortitude he brings to every character he inhabits, and couldn’t be more excited to see what he will do to bring Hank Pym to life."

Douglas himself is pretty excited to be in a Marvel movie. Here is what he had to say about it:

"I’ve been dying to do a Marvel picture for so long. The script is really fun, the director is really good. Dylan (the actor’s 13-year-old son) will love it. He’ll have a picture he can see. Sometimes – like (when) they didn’t see you for Liberace – you’ve got to shake them up a little bit and have some fun."

"Ant-Man" opens in theaters on July 31, 2015.

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Thomas Kretschmann to Star as Villain in THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

Thomas Kretschmann ("The Pianist", "King Kong") will be playing a villain in Joss Whedon's sequel "The Avengers: Age of Ultron". Rumors indicate that the villainous character will be Baron Von Strucker, "an antagonist for both Captain America (Chris Evans) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) … [who] was a Nazi officer who becomes one of the heads of HYDRA, a terrorist organization." It is also rumored that the Baron will be responsible for introducing the new characters Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Thomas Kretschmann has apparently signed a multi-picture deal, so he'll most certainly appear in other Marvel properties.

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Chris Pratt Cast as Lead in JURASSIC WORLD

"Guardians of the Galaxy" star Chris Pratt has been cast as the lead in Colin Trevorrow's reboot "Jurassic World". No details have been given regarding Pratt's role in the film. He will join Bryce Dallas Howard, Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins. "Jurassic World" has been described as "a new sci-fi terror adventure" and the new story will take place 22 years after the events of the first movie in the franchise. The release date has been set for June 12, 2015.

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