There’s good news and then there’s GOOD FUCKING NEWS. This is the latter. Paul Rudd is in negotiations to play Ant-Man in Edgar Wright’s adaptation of the Marvel character. The Wrap has the exclusive and claims Rudd will play “Hank Pym” which to my knowledge, was not the version of the character they were going with.
Ant-Man is a “legacy” character like The Flash, in that a few people have gone by that moniker over the years. Dr. Pym is the original Ant-Man and the creator of the technology that gives him his shrinking/ant-controlling power, but early rumblings were that Wright wasn’t going that route. The obvious second choice is Scott Lang, a version of the character I don’t know too well. Wikipedia tells me he’s a “reformed thief and an electronics expert.” Who needs to read the comics now? Not I!
Wright is a supremely talented filmmaker with one incredible comic book adaptation already under his belt. Rudd is an impossibly charming dude, and has the exact right lightness of touch required to carry a lesser-known character through a potentially major franchise. Honestly, this might be the best piece of casting to come out of Marvel since the decision to put Robert Downey Jr. in a goatee.
The film is set for a July 31, 2015 release, so expect the “negotiations” to become an official announcement right quick.