Be still, your beating pym particles, internetz. A Hollywood trade magazine has identified Paul Rudd and Joseph Gordon Levitt as possibilities for playing the dimunitive lead in Edgar Wright’s upcoming Ant-Man. So what differentiates this from some normal casting rumors?
Well, first, Variety is a trade magazine. Meaning they, you know, check sources and get things confirmed. Most likely they’ve gotten this straight from the actors’ agents and people at Marvel/Disney. Here’s how they put it:
“Sources tell Variety the two actors who have emerged as front-runners to land the title role in the superhero feature are Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Paul Rudd. Insiders warn there’s still a remote possibility another actor could emerge but as of now, Gordon-Levitt and Rudd are the main contenders the role. “
So, who would work better?
Rudd certainly has the comedic chops to pull off a character like this. Plus, he’s closer to the age of the other Avengers he’d potentially be on screen with. And Rudd’s acting ability should never be in doubt– just watch him in Neil LaBute’s “The Shape of Things” and tell me he’s not underrated/wasted doing another Apatow comedy. That being said, Rudd’s everyman schtick also lends itself well to making this character relatable. And, he’ll be coming off of the Anchorman sequel, which is almost guaranteed to be a hit.
Joseph Gordon Levitt is no slouch either. Possibly one of the most versatile actors out there, he seems just as comnfortable doing TV comedy (let us never forget 3rd Rock from the Sun) as heady action-drama with sci-fi/fantasy elements (Inception, Dark Knight Rises, Looper). His directorial debut Don Jon also seems to be impressing a lot of people as well. He’d do great, because the guy has the chops to play basically anything. Doing a remake of Titanic and want someone to play the iceberg? JGL.
The interesting thing is neither of them is really physically a superhero type. This also probably lends itself well to Ant-Man.
If this is true, we’re going to be in for a treat.
Ant-Man is scheduled to start shooting in 6 weeks for a July 31, 2015 release.