Just when he thought he had done it all in his Hollywood career, Michael Douglas is doing something new: He’s starring in a Marvel superhero film.
The 70-year-old Oscar-winning actor is excited about the opportunities presented by upcoming release “Ant-Man,” in which he plays Hank Pym, inventor of technology that shrinks a man and allows for telepathic communication with insects.
“My entire career has been movies without any special effects, and so it’s wonderful to now have all these fantastic tools. I’ve always vicariously looked at Marvel films from afar with tremendous envy and been dying to do one for so long,” said Douglas. “It’s also fun to do a big-budget movie with a built-in audience and one that helps me reach people who maybe aren’t so familiar with my work.”
That new audience includes his youngest children, Dylan, 14, and 12-year-old Cerys, who have been too young to watch their father’s largely adults-only previous films like “Basic Instinct” and “Fatal Attraction.”
Produced by Marvel, distributed by Walt Disney Co. and based on comic-book characters created by Stan Lee in 1962, “Ant-Man” stars Paul Rudd in the title role and will be released July 17.
Tuned-Up Salute
George Kieffer is a busy guy.
He not only heads the government and regulatory policy practice at West L.A. law firm Manatt Phelps & Phillips, but he’s on the Board of Regents of the University of California and is chairman of the Los Angeles Civic Alliance.
But Kieffer, 67, also finds the time to compose orchestral music for his enjoyment.
“It’s the kind of thing where in the evenings or on the weekends, I’ll go to the piano or the synthesizer and an idea will come and I’ll compose something,” he said.
But after he shared with colleagues a song he wrote last year, “Arlington,” honoring American men and women who have served in the military, Kieffer decided to present his music publicly.
“Arlington” was released last week on iTunes, other music platforms and the website SongsForOurHeroes.org to raise money for veterans in honor of Memorial Day.
“People are now asking, ‘Who wrote that?’ ” Kieffer said. “Every once in a while, I might submit something for a movie or something, but this is really the first time the music has been heard.”
If all goes as planned, it won’t be the last.
Kieffer said he’s primarily focused on “Arlington” now – which will be raising money through July 4, at least – but he plans to launch another website in coming weeks to release other works he’s done over the years.
“It just serendipitously became the first of the releases of my musical life,” he said.
Staff reporters Sandro Monetti and Cale Ottens contributed to this column. Page 3 is compiled by Editor Charles Crumpley. He can be reached at ccrumpley@
labusinessjournal.com.
