Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, and Thor are usually the first names that come to mind when you think of the current line-up of Marvel heroes on the big screen. But one that isn't very well known to general audiences is original Avengers member Ant-Man, who will be getting his own solo-movie in 2015 directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World) While Joss Whedon has already confirmed the character won't be making an appearance in the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron, that hasn't stopped the momentum the film's been getting since the first piece of footage leaked, and of course, once casting rumors started making the rounds.
While we went months with no word on who Edgar Wright would be selecting to tackle the lead role of Ant-Man himself, just a few months back many sites were reporting that Paul Rudd (This Is 40) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Don Jon) were the top choices Wright and Marvel were considering. Levitt has since gone agreed to direct, write, and star in DC's upcoming film adaption of the character Sandman, so that basically took him out of the running. Although Rudd himself played dumb when asked whether he was up for the role in and interview for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (Which isn't exactly uncommon behavior from an actor up for a big role), Marvel themselves has now confirmed through a press release (Which you can read in full here) that Rudd has landed the part.
Wright's Ant-Man film, which is written by Joe Cornish (Attack the Block), has been in development at Marvel since way back in 2006, even before Jon Favreau's first Iron Man film entered production. While the film now finally has a set release date on July 31, 2015, there's been very scarce details revealed about the film and it's plot. Wright once described that the film would move back and forth between the original Ant-Man; Hank Pym, and current Ant-Man; Scott Lang. But Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has said that film film has undergone rewrites to fit in the current Marvel Cinematic Universe, so it's unknown how much has been changed from Wright and Cornish's original script.
Rudd isn't exactly the first person to come to mind when you think of the Hank Pym version of Ant-Man, especially in comparison to fan favorites such as Adrien Brody (King Kong), Ewan McGregor (Star Wars: Episode III), and Joss Whedon alumni Nathan Fillion (Firefly). Many assumed Rudd would be playing one of the two more comedic version of the Ant-Man character, Scott Lang or Eric O'Grady, as he's much more well known for his comedic roles as seen in the Anchorman films, I Love You Man, This Is 40, and Our Idiot Brother. Personally I think Rudd will be able to bring a good balance between the brainier side of Pym, and the more light hearted side, which are traits perfect for a character that will soon be joining the ranks of Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, and Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner.
With the lead character now cast, there's still many roles that need to be filled out, specifically that of Pym's love interest Janet Van Dyne, the future 'Wasp'. Although it's still unknown whether the character will be transforming into Wasp in the film, it'll likely be an origin story for both characters. The most recent casting rumor in relation to Janet is that Rudd's I Love You Man costar Rashida Jones (The Muppets) is being eyed for the role. There's still likely many more roles to fill such as the film's villain, which many fans have speculated could be played by Wright's frequent collaborator Simon Pegg (Despite the actors denial when asked about it). There's also the casting of Scott Lang, who at this point may or may not be included in the film, but the most recent rumor has been that Jamie Bell (Snowpiercer) may be up for that part.
So are you happy with Rudd playing Ant-Man? Would you be fine with Rashida Jones playing Wasp and Jamie Bell playing Scott Lang? Sound off below.
