Well, despite his denials during the Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues premiere, it seems that Paul Rudd will indeed lead Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man movie, with Variety revealing that the star is now in negotiations with Marvel Studios about taking on the role of the miniature superhero.
Rudd was first rumoured as a frontrunner for the role alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Dark Knight Rises) back in October, and assuming the negotiations pan out successfully he’ll become the first name to sign on to the Phase Three offering, which has been written by Wright and Joe Cornish (Attack the Block). Rudd’s I Love You, Man co-star Rashida Jones has also been tipped for the part of Janet van Dyne (a.k.a. The Wasp), although it remains to be seen whether that was just speculation.
Update – Marvel Studios has now confirmed Rudd’s casting, with Kevin Feige stating that, “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.”
Is Paul Rudd right for the role of Ant-Man? Let us know in the comments below…
Originally published December 20, 2013. Updated April 13, 2018.
