(CBR) On the heels of the surprise casting of Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, TheWrap reports Marvel has offered “American Hustle” actor Michael Peña an undisclosed role in “Ant-Man.”
Directed by Edgar Wright from a script he wrote with Joe Cornish, the film stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, who in Marvel comics was an electronics expert turned thief who stole Pym”s suit and shrinking-gas canisters to save his ailing daughter. On Monday, Wright pointed to a 2006 interview in which he “spill[ed] the beans” about the movie’s Pym/Lang set-up and indicated the plot is inspired by “Marvel Premiere” #47 (the 1979 story in which Lang becomes Ant-Man).
Peña, whose other credits include “Gangster Squad,” “30 Minutes or Less,” “Eastbound & Down” and “The Shield,” is set to begin shooting the Fox miniseries “Gracepoint” — it’s based on the U.K. drama “Broadchurch” — at the end of the month, but TheWrap indicates he would be finished by the time “Ant-Man” stars production in April. Marvel denied Peña is in negotiations for the film.
Variety adds a reminder that Marvel has yet to cast a female lead — and while Rashida Jones (“Parks and Recreation”) and Bryce Dallas Howard (“The Help,” “Jurassic World”) have been mentioned for the role, no offers have been made. “Ant-Man” opens July 31, 2015.