At the end of Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, 2015’s Ant-Man introduced moviegoers to everyone’s favorite bitesize Avenger. Hank Pym trained Scott Lang to take on his mantle as Ant-Man in the movie, while love interest Hope van Dyne was primed for her transformation into the Wasp in time for the aptly titled sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly have proven to be fantastic casting choices as Scott and Hope – they’re both perfect for their individual roles and share impeccable on-screen chemistry – but they weren’t the first actors considered to play this pair of insect-themed superheroes.
9 Ant-Man: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
One of the first actors who met with Marvel Studios about possibly playing the role of Scott Lang was Joseph Gordon-Levitt, no stranger to reality-bending movies after his work with Christopher Nolan on Inception.
Gordon-Levitt had previously been offered the role of Peter Quill in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, but turned it down in order to shoot Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. He was also considered for Doctor Strange.
8 Wasp: Jessica Chastain
Marvel initially offered the role of Hope van Dyne to Jessica Chastain, but she turned it down after reading the script and being unhappy with how the character was portrayed. Presumably, it had something to do with Hope being a love interest, saving her superhero transformation for the sequel.
Chastain went on to appear in a much worse Marvel movie, the non-MCU X-Men entry Dark Phoenix, as the otherworldly villain Vuk.
7 Ant-Man: Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor was considered to play Scott Lang before Paul Rudd was cast. Having played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, McGregor is familiar with long-term commitments to blockbuster franchises with an avid fan base.
McGregor was later considered for the role of Stephen Strange, but didn’t land that part either. Instead, he ended up playing the villainous Black Mask in DC’s Birds of Prey.
6 Wasp: Emma Stone
Although her most acclaimed work has been in small movies like The Favorite and Birdman, Emma Stone has appeared in a number of blockbusters over the years. The Croods was a sleeper hit that unexpectedly launched a franchise, while La La Land made superhero movie numbers when it hit theaters in 2016. She was considered for the role of Hope in Ant-Man before Evangeline Lilly was cast.
Stone played Gwen Stacy opposite Andrew Garfield in The Amazing Spider-Man movies and was killed off just a year before Ant-Man was set to be released, so maybe Stone was just burned out with comic book movies.
5 Ant-Man: Adrien Brody
Before Paul Rudd was cast as Scott Lang, the producers considered Adrien Brody for the role. Brody has mainly worked on smaller movies like The Pianist, The Darjeeling Limited, and The Thin Red Line.
However, he has appeared in a couple of blockbusters. He played the male romantic lead in Peter Jackson’s King Kong remake and the lead role in Predators, an attempt at reviving the Predator franchise.
4 Wasp: Rashida Jones
Before Evangeline Lilly was chosen to play Hope van Dyne, the producers considered Rashida Jones – who, interestingly enough, played Paul Rudd’s love interest in I Love You, Man – for the role.
Having played a recurring role in The Office and a main role in Parks and Recreation, Jones would’ve been well-suited to the overtly comedic tone of the Ant-Man franchise.
3 Ant-Man: Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg was considered for the role of Scott Lang, presumably back when Edgar Wright was on board as director. Wright and Pegg co-wrote all three entries in the Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy, while Wright directed and Pegg starred.
When Pegg was asked in an interview which Marvel role he’d like to play, he threw his hat in the ring for the role of Captain Britain, who was considered to appear in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
2 Wasp: Bryce Dallas Howard
Bryce Dallas Howard was considered for the role of Hope in Ant-Man. She’d previously portrayed a different Marvel love interest, Gwen Stacy, in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3. She appeared in some of the movie’s best (crane malfunction) and worst (“Now, dig on this!”) scenes. This makes Howard the second actor who’d played Gwen who was considered to play Hope.
Howard went on to star in a more successful summer blockbuster in 2015. Jurassic World, in which Howard played Claire Dearing opposite Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady, went on to gross around three times the amount as Ant-Man at the worldwide box office.
1 Ant-Man: Steve Buscemi
Unsurprisingly, Steve Buscemi was not considered to play Scott Lang. He was considered for the role of the previous incarnation of Ant-Man, Hank Pym. Buscemi was actually the producers’ first choice, but he turned down the offer because the filming schedule clashed with his work on Hotel Transylvania 2.
Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, and Gary Oldman were all considered for the role of Hank prior to the eventual casting of Michael Douglas. Oldman, of course, previously played Commissioner Gordon in The Dark Knight trilogy.
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