Why Paul Rudd Is The Perfect Ant-Man

Ant-Man is on its way to theatres and we have all the angles covered for you here on ComiConverse!

From starring in Friends to huge blockbusters like Anchorman and all those Judd Apatow movies, Paul Rudd has cemented himself as a Hollywood funny man with serious acting chops to boot. Additionally, he showed his writing skills when he helped write the screenplay for 2008’s Role Models.

So why cast someone who is better known for making people laugh, as one of Marvel's most recognizable characters?

Marvel is being brave with this choice, but Rudd is exactly what Marvel needs (in my opinion) to add a new dimension to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Of course, with Avengers: Age of Ultron having opened on May 1st, Marvel will gain tons of attention, just as they did after the first Avengers film.

So why do I say that Marvel needs to go in a new direction with another, even bigger, movie coming out before Ant-Man?

Because some of their movies haven’t been meeting expectations.

Now, this is my opinion, but I think that Paul Rudd playing Scott Lang could be the revamping that Marvel needs to bring the studio back to the top.

Now, if you remember correctly, Chris Hemsworth (though you wouldn’t know it now) was actually a lesser-known actor at one time. The reason Chris was cast in the role of Thor was because his brother Liam (Gale from Hunger Games) was up for the part at the time, and he (Chris) was shooting Cabin In The Woods with Joss Whedon who directed The Avengers.

Remember how we all felt when Heath Ledger was cast as the Joker and we all panicked for fear that Heath had been miscast?

We felt the same when Ben Affleck was chosen as the new Batman for the upcoming Batman vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice.

I have high hopes that we will see Ben Affleck create a Ledger-esque portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman, just as Paul Rudd will bring us a one-of a kind performance as Scott Lang.

Like Ben, Paul Rudd doesn’t just bring acting skills but also the ability to help write, and I think having him, as a co-writer will only help propel Ant-Man to become the next Marvel Studios blockbuster.

Now, I don’t know what you guys have read so far about the movie but I’ve read it all. This movie could not only be the revamping that we need, but it could do just what the first Iron Man did for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  If that one movie (Iron Man) hadn’t done as well as it did, then all the movies that followed it would’ve never seen light of day and we would be lying in bed at night twiddling our thumbs, dreaming about what it would be like to see the Avengers on the big screen.

With Paul Rudd now playing one of his most serious roles - he has played some serious roles in films like The Great Gatsby (2000) - he can show his range as an actor while also sticking to his roots.

In a recent interview with IGN, Paul’s cast mate Judy Greer, who plays Ant-Man’s ex-wife Maggie, said, “We did a lot of comedic improv”.

Likewise, T.I Harris who has a smaller part in the movie, told Collider, “There will be a lot more comedy than you would expect from a Marvel franchise.”

So, will Paul be serious?

We wont know until the movie comes out, but I am excited to see Paul Rudd’s acting chops in a serious role, that may bring his comedic genius to an alternative audience.

See Ant-Man in theaters everywhere July 17th, 2015.

 

Grant Billings is a Contributor to ComiConverse. Follow him on Twitter @FictionFeed_HQ