AceShowbiz -

The anticipation for Marvel's "Ant-Man" just went up a notch higher with the addition of Michael Douglas. The two-time Oscar victor and winner at the recent Golden Globe Awards has signed on for his first comic-book movie, joining the cast as Hank Pym.

"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," Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said in a statement to Variety. "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."

In the comic books, the character is a scientist who created a chemical allowing him to change size. Like Paul Rudd's Scott Lang, he was later portrayed as Ant-Man, prompting question how Wright and scribe Joe Cornish would handle the story with two superheroes in the same title. Personally, Pym struggled with mental health issues and domestic abuse.

Plot details of the movie are kept secret. "Ant-Man" is slated to hit U.S. theaters on July 31, 2015.