Upcoming Movies

Casting Edgar Wright's upcoming Ant-Man film has taken me a very a long time as I've never quite been able to find an actor suitable for the role until now. For those of you unaware, Ant-Man is really Dr. Henry "Hank Pym"-a genius scientist who discovered particles he nicknamed "Pym Particles" that would allow him to increase or decrease his size. He is one of the original founding members of The Avengers and has a bit of identity problem as he seems to have no clear idea of what codename he wants to use. He's been Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Yellowjacket, Goliath, and even the Wasp over the years. Personally myself I liked the Ultimate Universe version of the character that went by the codename of Giant Man.

Edgar Wright has had this film in development for a while now but it's now gone through several drafts and it's now set for release in 2013. Wright definitely sounds like he has a clear vision for the character and unlike some of the directors who have made Marvel's other films; has a clear love for the character as well. Wright's approach to the character is to ground in some sort of reality because it's set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and you have to have some sort of basis of reality or you'll end up with some weird results (Frank Miller's The Spirit).

Ant-Man Top Choice: Adrien Brody

If I can't get Cumberbatch then I have to go with Adrien Brody. Brody I believe has been on Marvel's radar for the role ever since the film began development. That says something about the guy if he's been considered for the role for several years now. Now that I think I think I'm liking him for the role more so than Cumberbatch. He's more likely to land the role because he's not as busy as Cumberbatch despite that he's several years older. Brody is a really talented guy and unfortunately he hasn't really headed too many films as of late for some reason.

For some reason Brody seems to be relegated to purely supporting roles these days instead of playing the lead like he did in The Pianist (For which he won the Oscar for Best Actor). He's played the lead in films like Predators and Splice but Predators wasn't really about the characters and Splice well I don't know about that movie. He's kind of got a fledgling career right now and a superhero film could really boost his career. I want him to make a comeback because I really do like him quite a lot as an actor.

Ant-Man Choice Two: Benedict Cumberbatch

Cumberbatch's portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in Steven Moffat's BBC series Sherlock turned many heads because nobody thought the character of Sherlock Holmes could work in the modern world and Cumberbatch embodies the character more so than any other actor to have played him. Hank Pym of the comics is a genius and Cumberbatch himself in real life is a genius; very much like Sherlock Holmes. He may be from England but there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this guy is perfect for the role of Hank Pym.

Cumberbatch also seems to bare a resemblance to Pym as well. Each actor so far who has played one of the characters in The Avengers has looked like their respective characters. Robert Downey Jr. is the spitting image of Tony Stark and I think Cumberbatch is who Pym would look like if he existed. Many fans want Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange but I feel his talent would be wasted with that role because Guy Pearce is clearly more suited towards it. Cumberbatch may not be a really well known star here in the US but he definitely will be in the next few years because of the number of films he's landing roles in. In 2011 h was in War Horse and also starred in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.He's Smaug in The Hobbit, and has supposedly been casted as the villain in Star Trek 2 though Paramount has yet to release any information stating that he has been casted in the film. Giving him the lead in this movie would be a fantastic decision and he's certainly got enough acting credits in the past to prove himself worthy of the role. If not Adrien Brody or Cumberbatch then I suppose I would have to choose Nathan Fillion for Hank Pym.

Ultron: Andy Serkis

Instead of choosing one of Hank's other villains like Ulysses Klaw, I chose Ultron because to me there is no greater enemy for Hank than the enemy he created himself-Ultron. Ultron was a robot Hank developed to help change technology and mark a new era in scientific discovery but Ultron became much more than a simple A.I., he became sentient. With his newfound intelligence, Ultron decided to rebel against Dr. Pym and became a villain for him. He decided though that to take on The Avengers, that he would need help and so he founded the Masters of Evil which is the supervillain equivalent to The Avengers. I think it is likely that in an Avengers sequel Ultron will appear so introducing him in Ant-Man is absolutely necessary.

I feel Ultron should be created via motion capture technology because I want Andy Serkis for the role. Motion capture technology is something I really like quite a lot because it's a whole other type of acting. It actually adds a bit of realism to the film and the end result will be better because the actor who plays the character will be there on set. If he were done solely by CGI, then there would be no actor on set to play him and the scene won't be as good. I initially wanted someone with a commanding voice for Ultron but I realized Ultron is based on Pym so why shouldn't he have a normal voice (or an Andy Serkis voice that is). Serkis is the man and if there's anyone who should play Ultron it's him.

Janet Van Dyne AKA The Wasp: Grace Park

Grace Park

I at first didn't have the faintest idea of who to cast for her but after searching I came across an actress that just seemed right for the role (to me at least) I'm talking about the Battlestar Galactica star Grace Park for the role. Since most of the other characters have been more like their Ultimate Universe counterparts than I don't see why Wasp won't be like that either. Park played a cylon on Battlestar Galactica and had the tough task of playing completely different copies of the same character. The Ultimate Universe version of the character (from what I gather) is tougher from the mainstream Earth 616 version and also is clearly shown to be Asian. Park herself is Korean-American (Which is no surprise).

Park is the physical equivalent of that version of the character and is easily the best actress to play the role. It demands physicality and I'd love to see Park do it. She certainly has proven herself as an actress as her performance on Battlestar Galactica as Sharon Valeri/Lt. Boomer was fantastic. Everyone was great on that show but she stood out more as she played more than one character. They were actually one character just multiple copies but I consider them separate characters in a way. I also think Aimee Garcia could play the character (Props to VioletEyedDragon who suggested her).

I applaud your enthusiasm. Ant-Man, like DC's The Atom have never been too interesting to me as comic characters, but with The Avengers movie on the horizon, who's to say that the guy doesn't deserve some love? It's been more than a decade since I read anything with him or his main squeeze, Van Dyne. I guess Park is as good a choice as anyone, although I don't recall her being Asian. It doesn't matter especially since Nick Fury is now played by Sam Jackson and that whole Ultimate spin-off switched things around from what I grew up with.

I think Mark Wahlberg could do a good job as Pym, or maybe Adrien Brody. I think whoever plays Pym should also play Ultron since Ultron is a clone of Pym. Gabourney Sibide is such a unique and charming actress I think she could make a Wasp who is actually original and engaging. Also Aimee Garcia-she could do a good job.

@PenguinDust said:

I applaud your enthusiasm. Ant-Man, like DC's The Atom have never been too interesting to me as comic characters, but with The Avengers movie on the horizon, who's to say that the guy doesn't deserve some love? It's been more than a decade since I read anything with him or his main squeeze, Van Dyne. I guess Park is as good a choice as anyone, although I don't recall her being Asian. It doesn't matter especially since Nick Fury is now played by Sam Jackson and that whole Ultimate spin-off switched things around from what I grew up with.

how is Ant-Man not interesting. I get someone not liking him. But uninteresting? You are aware he is famous because he sometimes looses it: he created a genocidal cyborg and he beat his wife into a coma. I don't see how that is not interesting.

@VioletEyedDragon: Well, I guess I should have clarified that I found his powers, shrinking and growing large uninteresting. That's why I included The Atom in my prior post. Like I said it's been more than a decade since I read any Avengers comic and then it was mostly for Captain America or an appearance featuring The Hulk. I didn't pay attention to him or The Wasp. Perhaps some of that was because they didn't have their own magazines at the time. I know there was an Ant-Man comic in the 70's and 80's, but since I had little interest in the character I never bothered to retrieve any of them from my local comic dealers. When I was really deeply into comics through the 90's and very early 2000's, I don't recall their being one for him. Well, maybe the occasional mini-series. In the end, though nothing I read had any lasting impact on me. Maybe the Spider Clone thing made me forget large parts of that period in time.

I've always wanted Nathan Fillion for Hank Pym and I'd kind of love Morena Baccarin as Janet. They both have the chops to make their respective parts interesting and play them as they should be played. Not to mention the well-established chemistry between the two of them.

Is my Firefly showing at all?

Ultron seems like more of a Avengers villian than a Ant-Man villian but no reason why you can't tie it into something greater. Cumberbatch would be interesting but man Nathan Fillion would be great to.

@VioletEyedDragon said:

I think Mark Wahlberg could do a good job as Pym, or maybe Adrien Brody. I think whoever plays Pym should also play Ultron since Ultron is a clone of Pym. Gabourney Sibide is such a unique and charming actress I think she could make a Wasp who is actually original and engaging. Also Aimee Garcia-she could do a good job.

Adrien Brody is probably my second choice for the role. I think I'll edit this and write something about him because he is definitely a top contender and I know he's been considered for the role by Marvel.

@courtney12490:

I have considered Fillion for the role as well. He's definitely a great choice for the role. I think I'll edit this with some more choices. I wanted to put him in this at first but I wanted Adrien Brody and Cumberbatch slightly more than him.

@PenguinDust:

I've always sort of found both characters interesting. I've known who The Atom is since I was a kid as I grew up having the Justice League of America Guide from DK. I had never even heard of Ant-Man for the longest time but now I prefer him over The Atom and over most other heroes. Yeah, Park is actually Korean-American and I know in the Ultimate Universe the character of Wasp looks as Asian though I have no idea where she is from in that Universe.

@CrimsonAvenger said:

@VioletEyedDragon said:

I think Mark Wahlberg could do a good job as Pym, or maybe Adrien Brody. I think whoever plays Pym should also play Ultron since Ultron is a clone of Pym. Gabourney Sibide is such a unique and charming actress I think she could make a Wasp who is actually original and engaging. Also Aimee Garcia-she could do a good job.

Adrien Brody is probably my second choice for the role. I think I'll edit this and write something about him because he is definitely a top contender and I know he's been considered for the role by Marvel.

@courtney12490:

I have considered Fillion for the role as well. He's definitely a great choice for the role. I think I'll edit this with some more choices. I wanted to put him in this at first but I wanted Adrien Brody and Cumberbatch slightly more than him.

i know that had been a name mentioned for Hulk. I think he would have been good in that role too.

@PenguinDust said:

@VioletEyedDragon: Well, I guess I should have clarified that I found his powers, shrinking and growing large uninteresting. That's why I included The Atom in my prior post. Like I said it's been more than a decade since I read any Avengers comic and then it was mostly for Captain America or an appearance featuring The Hulk. I didn't pay attention to him or The Wasp. Perhaps some of that was because they didn't have their own magazines at the time. I know there was an Ant-Man comic in the 70's and 80's, but since I had little interest in the character I never bothered to retrieve any of them from my local comic dealers. When I was really deeply into comics through the 90's and very early 2000's, I don't recall their being one for him. Well, maybe the occasional mini-series. In the end, though nothing I read had any lasting impact on me. Maybe the Spider Clone thing made me forget large parts of that period in time.

yeah it isnt the most fascinating or believable powers. but i like the characters.

also I like the new Ant-Man (Eric O'Grady). He has some issues with morals, but he is pretty charming and exciting.

@VioletEyedDragon:

Brody? If so, I would love to have seen him as Bruce Banner. I hope Mark Ruffalo makes a good Bruce Banner but I'm really unsure about him as the character.

@CrimsonAvenger said:

@VioletEyedDragon:

Brody? If so, I would love to have seen him as Bruce Banner. I hope Mark Ruffalo makes a good Bruce Banner but I'm really unsure about him as the character.

my thoughts exactly. he is a good actor, but Brody gives the kind of performances that fit that category, not Ruffalo. Well, I guess he could surprise us...

@VioletEyedDragon:

He very well could surprise everyone and be a very good Bruce Banner. I have my doubts about him but it's far too early to tell. However in comparison to Ed Norton, I don't think he'll be very good because Norton was simply brilliant not only in portraying the character but in writing him too.

When I first heard of this project it was set to be an action comedy starring Simon Pegg. Is that still a thing?

@CrimsonAvenger said:

@VioletEyedDragon:

He very well could surprise everyone and be a very good Bruce Banner. I have my doubts about him but it's far too early to tell. However in comparison to Ed Norton, I don't think he'll be very good because Norton was simply brilliant not only in portraying the character but in writing him too.

I checked IMDB and Norton didn't have any writing credit in the story. However, I totally agree his performance was great. He was the perfect Banner (though I should say I haven't seen Hulk but I heard Eric Bana was pretty good too).

I also think Bill Bixby was great. I'm so glad Lou Ferrigno is voicing the Hulk in the Avengers movie, even if it ironic (Ferrigno is deaf).

@VioletEyedDragon:

Well the WGA didn't give him credit so that's why he isn't credited as a write on IMDB. Bana was good too. He wasn't perfect but he did give a solid performance in Ang Lee's film (Which I really dug).

@CrimsonAvenger said:

@VioletEyedDragon:

Well the WGA didn't give him credit so that's why he isn't credited as a write on IMDB. Bana was good too. He wasn't perfect but he did give a solid performance in Ang Lee's film (Which I really dug).

did you see the old show??

@VioletEyedDragon:

Yup, I love the 70's show with Bill Bixby.

@CrimsonAvenger said:

@VioletEyedDragon:

Yup, I love the 70's show with Bill Bixby.

did you see the two made-for-TV movies they made after it, one of which has Thor and the other (superior one) has Daredevil?