Michael Douglas has officially signed onto to Marvel's "Ant-man" film as scientist Hank Pym.
Marvel announced the Academy Award-winning actor will join Paul Rudd in Edgar Wright's adaptation of the comic. The film is slated to hit theaters on July 31, 2015.
"With Hank Pym's rich history in the Marvel Universe, we knew we needed an actor capable of bringing the weight and stature to the role that the character deserves," Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said in a statment. "We felt incredibly relieved when Michael Douglas agreed to step into the part with the charm and fortitude he brings to every character he inhabits, and couldn't be more excited to see what he will do to bring Hank Pym to life."
In 2013, multiple reports claimed Rudd and "Don Jon" actor Joseph Gorden-Levitt were both in the running for the superhero role. However, Feige confirmed on Dec. 20 the role of Ant-man would go to Rudd.
"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," Feige said in a statment. "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."
"The casting of Rudd represents the actor that Marvel and Wright 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," Marvel said in a news release.
