CraveOnline: This is the first producing credit I’ve seen of yours in a while, at least that made it in the credits.
Michael Douglas: Yeah.
What was it about this film?
Just a little… it was in the works. I had read this book back in 1972, it was called Deathwatch and written by a guy named Robb White, who was sort of a Young Adult writer. It was a really good cat and mouse sort of thriller. And then I bought a literary company that has the rights to Damon Runyon, Cordell Woolrich, Shirley Jackson, a bunch of others and Robb White. I just saw Deathwatch on the list and thought, “I remember that story. Let’s develop that.”
This is one of the few projects that I was developing, and then the script came together, I said this will be fun. This will be like the old fashioned Romancing the Stone, Ghost and the Darkness, indie days. Outside, flying without a net on tight budgets. I enjoy that, that part of it. So it just came together with Jean-Baptiste Léonetti. And yeah, and then before that I had my whole cancer bout so I wasn’t… I lost about three, four years in there.
So you’re feeling good, you’re feeling energized?
Yeah, I’m feeling great!
You’re doing a lot more now.
I’m cranking out. As I said I’ve got a resurgence of energy. It’s very fortunate, coming out of that with Behind the Candelabra. It was a great script, great director. Matt [Damon] and everything was fabulous. So that was a shot in the arm. And yeah, I’m feeling good and I’m just happy to be back and working, man. I’m happy to be alive! [Laughs.] You know? I think that’s probably a lot to do with it! I have a new appreciation for the work, the kids are a little older now, they’re in Junior High School, they’re looking to get away from Dad as much as they can…
Okay, is that a good thing though?
Well, it’s healthy. I mean, it’s healthy in young adolescence, you know? I understand. We’re still close, and with Catherine [Zeta-Jones]. It seems, you know, I’m starting off a third act here, and I’m kind of really busy. My company is active and involved in much more production in a television area. We made a first look deal with HBO, and producing.
The literary company sounds like it would be a goldmine. Just Shirley Jackson alone, she’s one of my favorites…
Yeah.
Do you have all of her books, like We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and…?
Yeah, we’re developing that right now, actually.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle, really?
Yeah.
As a TV series?
No, developing a small indie movie.
That’s awesome! How early into the process? Do you have a script yet?
No, we have a script, we have a director, we have the actresses, have picked the two sisters.
Have I not done my research? Has that already been announced?
No, no, that’s why I’m not saying more than that.
I’m excited for it though, it’s one of my favorites. What else are you looking to cherry pick?
The Lottery. I’m doing The Lottery, we’re developing that. We’ve got two now.
I don’t know if I ever thought I’d see you in a superhero movie, and now you’re doing Ant-Man. Was that an easy pitch for you? Was it like, “Oh, I love Ant-Man?!”
Well, I love Marvel. It was more like, what haven’t you done? I haven’t done one of these big CGI things, not to mention maybe they have sequels. What the hell, you know? Sounds good to me. I’m always out there struggling. My films are normally, you know, in the indie realm or slightly bigger, the ones that I’m in. So all of a sudden to be in this huge monolith, and these guys are good. And then more specifically, Ant-Man was a lot of fun, more tonally close to the things I would like to do, in terms of a little sense of humor.
I realize you probably can’t say much, but a part of me just really wants to see you in a costume, punching guys.
Right, right. [Laughs.]
Was that ever a thing? Like, “Do I get a costume?” Or did you just want to be a part of it regardless?
Yeah, I would have just regardless of it. When they came to me, and Paul Rudd I’m a big fan of, so understanding how it works. But they swear you to secrecy.
Under pain of death.
It really is, they are tough. They are.
