Actors depart Ant-Man due to scheduling conflicts

Ant-Man just can't seem to catch a break. In addition to massive rewrites and director Edgar Wright suddenly leaving the project, there is now news that three actors have dropped out of the project due to scheduling conflicts caused by the film's delay.

The actors that have left include Patrick Wilson, Matt Gerard, and Kevin Weisman. Wilson's character is rumored to be a villain so he will no doubt remain in the script but will require a recasting. The other two characters have apparently been cut out of the latest rewrite entirely and will not require recasting.

Ant-Man still has Michael Douglas, Paul Rudd, Michael Pena, Corey Stoll, and Evangeline Lilly on board. It is set to kick off Marvel Phase Three on July 17, 2015. 

Michael Pena in talks for Ant-Man

Now that January is about half over we are starting to get more valuable news. Marvel isn't skimping on announcements right now as we have news that Michael Pena (End of Watch) is in early talks for Ant-Man. The role offered to Pena is unknown at this time, but reports suggest he is keen on accepting. Pena is a very versatile actor who has tackled, and succeeded, in both comedies and dramas. Edgar Wright has described Ant-Man to be a bit of both comedy and drama, so he might just be a perfect fit.

Kevin Feige and the rest of Marvel are now working on casting the female lead. Rumors are circulating around Bryce Dallas Howard and Rashida Jones, but there is no telling who might be cast next. Filming is supposed to start in April, so I figure we will have some more solid casting news before too long.

Frontrunners for Ant-Man revealed

Everyone who was hoping for Simon Pegg needs to sit down to prepare for some pretty unsurprising news.

The frontrunners to lead Edgar Wright's Ant-Man are apparently Paul Rudd and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Surprise? No. It seems that these two are in just about everything these days.
It is being reported that both Gordon-Levitt and Rudd are going to meet with Edgar Wright and Marvel executives once more before a decision is made. The role of Ant-Man (aka, Hank Pym) is that of a brilliant scientist who invented a substance giving him the ability to shrink in size as his own will. Wright is apparently searching for a normal looking actor with a witty sense of humor.