Michael Pena reportedly up for 'Ant-Man' movie role, plus major plot details revealed

The news and rumors about Edgar Wright's Ant-Man movie are coming in quicker and quicker as the film approaches its start of production in May. We now know for certain that Paul Rudd will play Scott Lang and Michael Douglas will play Hank Pym, but new names are now circling the project in various reports.

TheWrap and The Hollywood Reporter, among other sources, have noted that 38-year-old Michael Pena is in early negotiations for a role in Ant-Man. THR reports that the studio has been looking for a "tough Latino who has to be ready for a lot of physical play," but no sites mentioned which character he would play. THR also notes that the studio was considering "actors ranging from Javier Bardem to Clifton Collins Jr."

Variety also reported that the next major part the film will look to fill is the female lead, and "Rashida Jones and Bryce Dallas Howard are names that have been mentioned, but as of now no one has been offered the part."

Bleeding Cool later claimed to have been told, "the female lead of this film is the daughter of the second male lead. In light of the last day's news, that pretty clearly marks her out as the offspring of Hank Pym." When news broke about Michael Douglas, fans wondered how, if at all, Janet Van Dyne, aka The Wasp, would fit into the movie. It's possible she is Pym's daughter, who meets Scott Lang and becomes The Wasp.

Finally, This Is Infamous later reported through a source that Pena would play a character known as Castillo, one of two main villains in the movie. The site also revealed some plot details:

"While it took awhile to piece together the timeline, our understanding is that Castillo will be the film's villain in the beginning, which takes place in the 1960s. It is here that we'll get our introduction to Ant-Man - the Hank Pym version - which Marvel readers will get from the character's work as a spy fighting against Communism. From there, Ant-Man will move into the modern era, with an aging Pym, recently filled by Michael Douglas, and the beginning of the Scott Lang story arc, which will eventually get Scott Lang in as Ant-Man. Lang will encounter this second villain along the way, who will serve as his primary villain, but what we're hearing is that Peña will wind up playing a larger role as the film develops, much more than just the opening to establish Ant-Man." 

It's a lot to digest, but what do you think of these reports? Who would you cast in the female lead? Will Janet Van Dyne/The Wasp be in the movie? Let us know in the comments below.