In early 2006, Marvel Studios announced that Edgar Wright, who at the time was famous for the critically and commercially successful zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead, would be directing an Ant-Man adaptation for the big screen. After going on to direct Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and beginning work on the finale to his Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy, The World’s End, it seemed like Ant-Man was going to be forgotten. That was before Wright showed up at San Diego Comic-Con in 2012 and previewed polished test footage to very positive buzz. Now, one year later, The World’s End has been released, and Wright has taken to Twitter to post that he is back in Los Angeles to finish up a project he began production on a while ago. A picture of Wright filming the Comic-Con test footage accompanied the post, leading to public inference that the Ant-Man production was back on track. This brings us to this past Monday, where news was let out that Marvel presently has two actors front running to play the titular role: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Paul Rudd.
Before going into the casting news, I think a little background on the character of Hank Pym/Ant-Man is necessary due to the fact that most people have no idea who this guy is. Pym is an American biochemist who, while doing research, discovers a rare group of subatomic particles, which are now commonly known as “Pym Particles.” Through use of magnetic fields, Pym entraps the particles into two separate serums: one that reduces the size of people and objects and the other that restores their size. After a very dangerous and life-threatening test, Pym decides the two serums are too dangerous and destroys them but weeks later decides to continue the production and eventually dawns the alter ego, Ant-Man.
Personally, what really excites me about this adaptation is how different Pym’s powers are. Obviously Ant-Man’s most obvious power is his ability to shrink to ant size, making him very hard to detect and incredibly stealthy. On top of this, Ant-Man keeps his strength from normal size while in his smaller form, making him just as, if not more, deadly in combat. Pym eventually develops particles that allow him to grow to giant sizes – if they decide to incorporate this into the adaptation, it will only increase the potential for some fantastic action pieces, and with Edgar Wright, who has done some very spectacular work with action scenes in his career, at the helm, it only increases my excitement.
On top of the exhilarating and highly entertaining action scenes, another aspect that really has me anticipating this adaptation is the character of Hank Pym himself and how they will portray him. For a good portion of the comics, Pym comes across as a somewhat sarcastic scientist with the ability to deliver some very witty comments, but there are very dark moments in this character’s life as well in which he has to face some demons and transforms into somewhat of a deplorable man. One of the major examples of this is his relationship with his wife, in which after falling into a deep depression due to the belief that he will never discover anything greater than “Pym Particles” he begins to emotionally and physically abuse his wife, eventually culminating in their divorce and his expulsion from the Avengers. Moments like these truly define the character of Pym and I’m really curious if they will find a way to show Pym as a multi-layered character.
Now back to the casting rumor. When first hearing these two names as frontrunners for Pym I was honestly shocked. However, when thinking about it more critically I think each of these actors does bring something interesting to the table:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt: When Gordon-Levitt’s name came up as one of the two in talks to play Ant-Man I was at first surprised. However, when looking under the surface, it seems to make perfect sense. Other than Benedict Cumberbatch, JGL might be the most popular actor in Hollywood these days, appearing in a range of films from The Dark Knight Rises to his recent directorial-debut Don Jon. Gordon-Levitt is easily one of the best actors working today and his credentials hold proof. His versatility really gives him an edge in the race to play Pym, where he will need to portray the diverse sides of Pym’s character as well as the physical sides when stepping into the Ant-Man suit. His star power and charisma also has the power to attract some of the naysayers and people who have no idea who this character is to the theaters, which is definitely an important aspect for Marvel Studios and Disney alike. Nevertheless, JGL is an actor that I would trust in pretty much any role and I know he will deliver a fantastic performance.
Now, although Gordon-Levitt is a fantastic actor, I really don’t see him when I think of Hank Pym. For no particular reason, the idea of JGL playing this character just doesn’t mesh well in my head. On top of this, Gordon-Levitt and Edgar Wright have never collaborated on a project before, and once again, this is a duo that I don’t see meshing together either. Wright’s style – very fast-paced, witty story with impressive, eye-popping visuals – is very different from the projects Gordon-Levitt is used to working on. While actors should try to branch out and try new characters, Wright has a very specific type of actor that works in as the leads in his films (Simon Pegg, mostly) and I just don’t see JGL fitting in there.
Paul Rudd – While Gordon-Levitt was a surprise, his name being mentioned for Pym came as much less of a shock than Rudd. However, Rudd does have soome pretty important positives for the role in his corner. As a very well established comedic actor, Rudd has the chops to provide the laughs and seems like a better fit for the characteristics of Hank Pym. Although a little older, I think trying to portray a believable doctor works more in Rudd’s favor, and there’s no doubt he would fit right in with Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner and Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark. Rudd has consistently proven himself as an actor, churning out hilarious performance after hilarious performance. I think it’s time for him to get his shot at a big-budget blockbuster and an Edgar Wright action-comedy seems right up his alley.
Nevertheless, Rudd’s major downfall could be the fact that he has never had a shot at a blockbuster of this magnitude. Sure he’s given great performances in the past, but they’ve been either as a supporting character or bolstered by a just as impressive supporting character at his side. The fact that Rudd has never really led a film by himself could be troublesome, especially since this Cinematic Universe has been filled with consistently fantastic performances from the likes of Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Chris Hemsworth.
However, when casting Pym I would have to choose Paul Rudd over JGL. He’s shown that he can consistently give audiences great comedic performances and, coupled with his charm and charisma, I think his talent and personality will fit much more tightly with Edgar Wright’s style of filmmaking. And while Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a much more versatile actor, I think his talent would be best suited in the possible Doctor Strange adaptation that’s been in talks.
Who do you think should be cast as Ant-Man? Joseph Gordon-Levitt? Paul Rudd? Or someone else completely? And what are you most looking forward to in the upcoming Ant-Man adaptation? Sound off in the comments below, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Article by Nick Franco
Reel Reactions 