The lead of Ant-Man is narrowing down and it appears Paul Rudd and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are at the top of the list…
Marvel has filled most of the major roles necessary for their 2015 slate of films including the upcoming blockbuster The Avengers 2: Age of Ultron, but one movie is still searching for a lead actor although the race is narrowing down.
Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man is still in final casting for the man who will portray Hank Pym — the brilliant scientist who engineers a way to shrink himself down to microscopic size and back again. In the comic book series, Ant-Man is a member of The Avengers and the actual creator of Ultron, although director/writer Joss Whedon has already said that Pym will not play a part in the creation of his version of Ultron in The Avengers 2.
That said, Wright’s film is scheduled for release on July 31, 2015 so the director and the studio are currently looking at final choices to fill the lead role.
The two names at the top of the list according to Variety are Dark Knight Rises star Joseph Gordon-Levitt and comedic actor Paul Rudd.
Levitt is well known for his roles in recent hits like Looper and Don Jon, as well as his turn in the final film in the Dark Knight trilogy where he takes over the mantle of Batman after Bruce Wayne leaves Gotham City.
Rudd is mostly known for his roles in comedies like I Love You Man, Anchorman and Role Models, but has done theater and darker parts in the past as well.
The final casting for Ant-Man is expected to happen in the coming months as the studio moves closer to a production start date for the film that will be released just two months after The Avengers 2: Age of Ultron lands in theaters.
While Levitt may seem like the smart choice with the success he’s found in other dramatic roles, he only left the Batman franchise one film ago and still carries a lot of that weight on his shoulders. Meanwhile, Rudd is a funny, charismatic actor who could absolutely pull off a genius/flawed character like Pym.
