Edgar Wright May Have Found His Ant-Man! Rumors and Speculation Ahead! [UPDATED]

There has been a lot of Marvel discussion lately regarding the recent announcements of the 3 mystery release dates, but not a lot of talk about the first film of Marvel’s Phase Three; Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man. So you can probably imagine that today we will be discussing some Ant-Man rumors that have been swirling.

There isn’t really a question as to why we haven’t heard much from Ant-Man, because we’ve known for a while that Wright wouldn’t start production on Ant-Man until after The World’s End wrapped up, which is pretty much now as it gets ready for release. There have been a lot of names thrown around as star of Ant-Man, most common being Nathan Fillion due to his sheer awesomeness and connections to Joss Whedon. Also, he’s a Geek god and would no doubt draw a crowd to the film, but we have to STOP ASKING FOR NATHAN FILLION AS ANT-MAN! Sorry, sorry, it’s hard to let go.

Anyway, Armie Hammer was recently spotted on the set of Captain America: The Winter Soldier allegedly alongside Edgar Wright, which opened some serious speculation regarding the lead role of Ant-Man. This speculation was pretty interestingly avoided by Hammer when he was confronted about his presence on the set. ScreenRant reports:

[box_light] SR: So, you and Edgar Wright visited the Captain America 2 set…

AH: Me and Edgar? Who’s Edgar? The actor?

The director. Edgar Wright.

Edgar Wright?

Is this an act? If this is an act, you’re convincing.

No, it’s not an act. Who’s Edgar Wright?

The supposed director of Ant-Man.

Of what?

Ant-Man.

Ant-Man? Oh! Wait! You think you know something! No, there’s nothing! What do you know? What’s the rumor?

That you were spotted on the Captain America 2 set with Edgar Wright.

No, there’s nothing.

Really?

Yeah!

Really.

I promise. I promise-promise. Ant-Man?

You’re saying it like you’ve never heard of him before.

No, I know the character Ant-Man—like, the comic book character.

You can’t tell me that this is the first time you’ve heard the rumor that you’re playing Ant-Man.

First in my life. I swear to god, cross my heart, hope to die. Amy! [Turns to his publicist Amy, who says, ‘”I’ve never heard of that ever ever. Who’s Ant-Man?”] They make him shrink! You’re a news-breaker right there.

Potentially fictitious, apparently.

Well, it works. [Fake enthusiasm] I’m doing Ant-Man, I’m very excited about it. Me and Edgar.

Congrats.

I did go visit the set, though. Not with Edgar.

With who?

Just by myself.

Any reason?

Um… a buddy of mine was working on the movie so I just wanted to go say hi.[/box_light]

So this is either some seriously artful dodging of the question or he really has zero idea of what’s happening with Marvel Studios and their upcoming slate of films. Which is actually a little hard to believe, considering his current involvement with Disney’s The Lone Ranger as well as his past with superhero movies. For those unaware of this past, Armie was once cast as Batman in George Miller’s failed Justice League: Mortal film from a few years ago.

So if he is secretly in negotiations to play a role in Ant-Man, just who would that role be? There have actually been 3 characters who have used the Ant-Man sobriquet over the years, the most well known being Henry ‘Hank’ Pym, who invented the Pym Particles that allow for his size manipulation. He has also gone be Giant-Man, Goliath, Yellowjacket, and even the Wasp over his long career as a founding member of the Avengers. This seems the most likely character for Hammer to play, but another tidbit of information opens a few more doors for the film.

Last year in San Diego, Edgar Wright helped officially announce Ant-Man and even showed a test reel of footage for the film. While on stage, he was seen holding a very specific Ant-Man comic. The issue was Marvel Premiere #47, which featured the story “To Steal an Ant-Man.”

This story features Hank Pym, but tells the story of Scott Lang and his first time out as Ant-Man. Lang steals the Ant-Man tech in order to save his daughter Cassie, who has a heart condition. Eventually, Pym and Lang work out their issues, and Lang becomes the second man to be known as Ant-Man, eventually joining the Avengers before a horrible death at the hands of his teammate, Scarlet Witch.

The third Ant-Man is Eric O’ Grady, a low-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who steals the uniform and becomes a superhero to pick up chicks. Seriously. So we wouldn’t expect to see him in Wright’s Ant-Man in any way, but with both Scott Lang and Hank Pym rumored to be in the film, Hammer could easily pull off both roles.

His denial of the rumor notwithstanding, there may be more to find out regarding his connection to the film and the reason he was at the set of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. All signs point to another great showing at Comic-Con from Marvel Studios where we might finally see some cast announcements for Ant-Man, as well as some more info from Guardians of the Galaxy, hopefully.

[UPDATE]

Edgar Wright has chimed in on the rumor as well, putting this pretty strongly in the rumor category. unless of course he is also playing coy, which… is probably not likely. Here’s what he had to say on Twitter about the subject:

But… I haven’t been on the Cap 2 set…

— edgarwright (@edgarwright) June 25, 2013

Or met Mr. Hammer…

— edgarwright (@edgarwright) June 25, 2013

I am pretty sure I have been in a dark room in London this whole time.

— edgarwright (@edgarwright) June 25, 2013

So it’s fun to speculate. Comic-Con. We’ll find out at Comic-Con. As always, we’ll keep you updated as more news develops. What do you think of Armie Hammer possibly taking a role in Ant-Man? Would you rather see Hammer as Hank Pym or Scott Lang? Sound off in the comments section below!