From what we have been able to deduce, Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man -- which he’s busily filming in Atlanta – either is going to set a chunk of its action in a flashback-heavy past, or it will include time travel. Several clues have been dropped to suggest that Reed will focus on an historic Marvel age. And today’s clue confirms that Marvel will be moving its MCU forward by having Ant-Man connect to its past.
That’s because Hayley Atwell – or a Hayley Atwell look-alike – is being sought for the Ant-Man shoot, according to the casting call Web site Project Casting. (It’s not a good sign that they misspell the actress’s name on the call sheet, referring to her as "Haley" on multiple occasions…) According to the site, the studio is looking for a "stand-in" for Atwell, who is 31, 5’7″, 112 lbs. Atwell played Agent Peggy Carter in two Captain America movies, as well as in her own Marvel One-Shot titled Agent Carter. It was part of the Iron Man 3 Blu-ray release. You can watch a clip of it below:
So, why is Peggy Carter’s inclusion in Ant-Man unusual? Because Ant-Man takes place, from what we can tell, in a modern time, and Peggy … well, she was born in the 1920s (likely), and fought alongside Captain America during World War II. Unless Peyton Reed will have Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) encountering some type of time-travel device, this is a major indicator that Ant-Man is going to lean on flashbacks.
And yet, we kind of knew this already. Earlier this year, the production put out the call to find a younger stand-in for Michael Douglas, who plays Hank Pym in the upcoming Ant-Man movie. Eagle-eye Marvel fans even spotted a few clues in Ant-Man promotional material suggesting that the film could take place in a not-so-distant past. And yes, John Slattery was confirmed earlier in a small role, which we are guessing will be Howard Stark (who he played in Iron Man 2).
Here’s our best guess. A good chunk of Ant-Man will be set in the past, when a young Hank Pym is developing his Ant-Man tech, and catches the eye of our government – and possibly S.H.I.E.L.D. Peggy Carter will cameo, perhaps aiding Hank as he dispatches with some criminals. It will lay the groundwork for events that will pick up in the contemporary age (and remind folks about Agent Carter, who is getting her own show on ABC starting this January). Think we’re right? Weigh in below.
