TIFF 2014: Adam Driver and Corey Stoll explain what 'This Is Where I Leave You' has in common with 'Star Wars' and 'Ant-Man'

At first glance the star-studded family dramedy “This Is Where I Leave You” bears little resemblance to future blockbusters like the upcoming Marvel superhero movie “Ant-Man” or the highly-anticipated “Star Wars Episode VII.” But at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday, actors Adam Driver and Corey Stoll pointed out that their quirky family drama has more in common with their superhero movies than you might think.

Granted, on paper, it doesn't sound a whole lot like "Star Wars" or "Ant-Man." “This Is Where I Leave You” follows four siblings (played by Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Driver, and Stoll) who return home to mourn their recently deceased father. A series of personal crises, combined with cramped quarters and their overbearing mother (Jane Fonda), quickly turns the house into an emotional powder keg that frequently explodes in hilarious, heartwarming, and sometimes violent ways.

So how, exactly, does the upcoming "Star Wars" sequel compare? After all, Driver is set to play an unspecified villain in the upcoming "Star Wars" sequel - a far cry from his misguided, button-pushing “This Is Where I Leave You” character Phillip Altman. But according to the actor, both are taking a "character first" approach.

“‘Star Wars’ is a big thing, ‘Ant-Man’ is a big thing, they're huge and the scales are bigger than the things we've worked on before,” Driver told reporters at the Shangri-La Hotel. “I can't speak for ‘Ant-Man,’ but I know for ‘Star Wars’ what JJ [Abrams] and Larry Kasdan have written - and the way they've decided to approach the project - is very much how you'd approach anything."

He continued: “From the very beginning it's all about story and character... Yes, it's ‘A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...’ but at the same time there's those moments: It's about loss and friendship and those universal themes that made the original movies have such a long life and resonate. I think it's the same as [‘This is Where I Leave You’]: we're playing this moment, then the next moment, and hopefully at the end we'll have a movie."

Stoll drew similar parallels to between playing the buttoned-down and responsible older brother Paul Altman in "This Is Where I Leave You" and taking on the role of the villainous Yellowjacket in Marvel’s “Ant-Man.”

“It can be easy to say, 'Oh, this is this supernatural or fantasy world so I don't have to take it as seriously,' but I've had more conversations with ['Ant-Man' director] Peyton Reed talking about script and character than any independent movie I've done,” Stoll said. “At their core, they are human beings dealing with maybe slightly more extraordinary circumstances, but that's what people come to the theatres for: to see those human interactions.”

As the oldest and youngest siblings in the Altman family, Driver and Stoll’s “This Is Where I Leave You” characters frequently find themselves at odds. But while promoting the film at the Toronto International Film Festival the future star warrior and the soon-to-be-Marvel baddie clearly couldn’t be more on the same page.

“This Is Where I Leave You” (directed by Montreal native Shawn Levy) is set to have its World Premiere at TIFF on Sept. 7.