Well, Marvel Studios officially confirmed that Paul Rudd has been set to star in the title role for Edgar Wright's upcoming Ant-Man.
Two months or so ago, Rudd and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have emerged as front-runners to play the lesser known superhero for the comic book studio, but Gordon-Levitt decided to make Sandman for Warner Bros. According to the press release, Rudd is the actor ‘that Marvel had long ago identified as its first choice to play Ant-Man,' due out on July 31st, 2015.
Dr. Henry ‘Hank' Pym is a fictional character that first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27 (Jan. 1962) with the power to shrink to the size of an insect. Wright is set to direct a screenplay written by himself and Joe Cornish, with Marvel's Kevin Feige who will produce with Nira Park. Filming is set to begin in mid-2014.
Back in August 2013, director Wright described Ant-Man as a stand-alone film and he said it will fit into to the larger continuity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, elaborating that ‘it is pretty standalone in the way we're linking it to the others. I like to make it standalone because I think the premise of it needs time. I want to put the crazy premise of it into a real world, which is why I think Iron Man really works because it's a relatively simple universe; it's relatable. I definitely want to go into finding a streamlined format where you use the origin format to introduce the main character and further adventures can bring other people into it.'
Check out the latest press release:
Marvel Studios confirmed today that renowned actor Paul Rudd has been cast to star as the title character in Marvel's Ant-Man. The feature film is being directed by Edgar Wright. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige will produce the film with Nira Park.
The casting of Rudd represents the actor that Marvel had long ago identified as its first choice to play Ant-Man, continuing the studio's desire to cast actors that bring several dimensions to its onscreen heroes. The film's plot is being kept under wraps.
Rudd brings a diverse background to the role having become one of the industry's most known actors with a reputation for smart, funny and creative performances. Rudd can currently be seen in Anchor Man 2: The Legend Continues, as well as past roles in Anchorman; This Is 40; I Love You, Man; Role Models; Forgetting Sarah Marshall; Our Idiot Brother; Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin among numerous other films, television shows and primetime animation.
