Its Official, Paul Rudd is ‘Ant-Man’

He’s been rumored for this role for months now, and pretty much flat out denied it several time. But now The Wrap has just announced that Paul Rudd has now indeed begun negations to play the lead in Ant-Man, directed by Edgar Wright.

While its true that this could mean anything. It could mean he’s nabbed for the role and they’re now just settling on his fee, or possibly the amount of films he will have the role for, but it could also mean that he’s begun talking to them about the possibility.

It also doesn’t confirm if he is Hank Pym or Scott Lang due to both characters being rumored to be included in the film. But Fans now expect an official statement from Marvel in the coming days.

Ant-Man is set for release on July 31, 2015.

UPDATE 12/19:

Marvel has officially confirmed the casting. Check out the press release below:

Marvel’s “Ant-Man” has found its hero in Paul Rudd, who will star in the new film from director Edgar Wright hitting theaters July 31, 2015!

The casting of Rudd represents the actor that Marvel had long ago identified as its first choice to play Ant-Man, continuing the studio’s desire to cast actors that bring several dimensions to its onscreen heroes.  The film’s plot is being kept under wraps.

“When Edgar Wright came to us with the idea of Paul Rudd, we felt a huge sense of relief because the first step in creating any Marvel Studios film is finding the right star,” said Marvel’s Kevin Feige. “We knew early on that we had found the right person in Paul. When he not only agreed to do it but became as enthusiastic as any actor we’d ever met with about doing the work, we knew we’d found the right guy. We couldn’t be more excited for our audiences to see what he’s going to do to bring Ant-Man to life.”

Rudd brings a diverse background to the role having become one of the industry’s most known actors with a reputation for smart, funny and creative performances.  Rudd can currently be seen in “Anchor Man 2: The Legend Continues,” as well as past roles in “Anchorman,” “This Is 40,” “I Love You, Man,” “Role Models,” “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “Our Idiot Brother,” “Knocked Up,” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” among numerous other films, television shows and primetime animation.

In addition to “Ant-Man,” Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” on April 4, 2014; “Guardians of the Galaxy” on August 1, 2014; and “Avengers: Age of Ultron” on May 1, 2015.