It would appear that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is getting very close to growing by one more superhero. And it's a tiny one.
It was all the way back in October when it was first revealed that Marvel Studios had taken an interest in Paul Rudd as a potential star for Edgar Wright's upcoming Ant-Man movie, and today it appears as though the rumor may turn out to be the real deal. According to The Wrap, the comedic star is now in early negotiations to play Hank Pym in Marvel's first post-Avengers: Age of Ultron release.
When Rudd's name was first announced as being on the Marvel radar for Ant-Man, his name was paired with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's. Earlier this week, however, we learned that the Dark Knight Rises star is now going to star in and potentially direct DC Comics' Sandman adaptation, which means that he is probably unavailable to do a comic book movie for a rival studio. This presumably opened the door for Rudd, and now it sounds like he is walking through it.
For those unfamiliar with the comics, Hank Pym is a scientist who has an incredible breakthrough when he discovers what he dubs "Pym particles." This substance allows him to shrink down to the size of an ant, but keep the proportional strength of a human being. The character, along with his wife Janet van Dyne a.k.a. The Wasp, was actually an original member of The Avengers in 1963.
The Wrap notes that the comedic star has been looking a bit slimmer as of late as a result of the training and workouts he needs to do for an action movie role. At the same time it's worth noting that a casting call that leaked early last month suggested the film would be fairly heavy on the comedy, which Rudd, of course, has plenty of experience with.
As a big comic book fan, I must say that I am very excited by this potential casting. While the movies where he is a lead don't always draw the biggest audiences, he is undeniably charismatic and always fun to watch - even when handling not-so-great material. Marvel Studios has a pretty damn impressive history with casting superheroes, so it's not hard to trust their judgement on this one.
But what do you think of this casting news? Do you think Rudd is a good choice? Do you think they should have gone with somebody else? Let us know what you're thinking in the comments below!
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