Yesterday, we brought you news that A-lister Paul Rudd was in the midst of negotiations with Marvel to play the pint-sized protagonist of Edgar Wright’s upcoming Ant-Man, and now, the studio has made it official.
In a statement on Marvel.com, President of Production Kevin Feige released the following confirmation:
When Edgar Wright came to us with the idea of Paul Rudd, we felt a huge sense of relief because the first step in creating any Marvel Studios film is finding the right star. We knew early on that we had found the right person in Paul. When he not only agreed to do it but became as enthusiastic as any actor we’d ever met with about doing the work, we knew we’d found the right guy. We couldn’t be more excited for our audiences to see what he’s going to do to bring Ant-Man to life.
Marvel has been after Rudd for the role for a while now, and it’s not hard to see why. Ant-Man (aka Henry Pym) has long been one of the funnier Marvel heroes, and Rudd can clearly supply both wit and charisma for the character.
The successful actor and comedian has starred in many blockbuster hits, including Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up and I Love You, Man. He’s also showcased considerable dramatic chops in recent years with films like The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Prince Avalanche.
Ant-Man has a script written by Wright and Joe Cornish (Attack the Block) but unfortunately, plot details have not yet been revealed for the film, which is set to be the first installment of Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With Robert Downey Jr. soon aging out of the role of Iron Man/Tony Stark though, it’s not hard to conclude that Marvel has tapped Rudd to serve as the new leading man for their blockbuster franchise.
What do you think of this casting announcement? Sound off in the comments section.
Ant-Man hits screens on July 31st, 2015.
