If rumors are to be believed, Marvel Studios is very interested in having Joseph Gordon-Levitt joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In January of this year it was said that the actor was being considered for the role of Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy; then in July it was reported that he was being looked at for the lead in Doctor Strange; and finally last night came the story that he, could be up for the title part in Ant-Man. It's possible that there will come a day when Gordon-Levitt does eventually throw on a superhero suit and go out to fight crime in a comic book movie, but for now, according to the actor, it doesn't seem like that will be happening.
The star is currently doing international promotion for his recently-released directorial debut Don Jon, and while speaking with Allocine (via The Playlist) he revealed that we perhaps shouldn't put so much stock in trade reports about short lists of big names going out for superhero parts. "There are always rumors," Gordon-Levitt said, his quotes translated from French. "I talk a lot about my future projects, so if you haven't heard me talk about it, it means it's nothing but a rumor. People like to write about [rumors]." Going further, according to the article any stories that have said that Gordon-Levitt passed any kind of screen test or audition are incorrect.
While reports about Gordon-Levitt being in Ant-Man may be totally wrong, it's also not hard to see why the stories are believable. Not only is the actor in the prime age range for a superhero part, he is also one of the more popular young actors working today and even already has some comic book movie experience having starred in last year's The Dark Knight Rises. Both fans and studios alike at least seem to be interested in Gordon-Levitt donning a cape and mask, but it may be a while before it happens - if it actually ever does.
One side effect of this denial is that we now have no idea where things stand with his rumored Ant-Man competition, Paul Rudd. If Gordon-Levitt has nothing to do with the project, does that mean that the story about Rudd is false too? That would be a shame, as while the younger star is certainly an obvious choice to play a superhero role, Rudd would be much more unconventional and, as a result, much more interesting. With production on Ant-Man scheduled to start up in the first half of next year, with Edgar Wright sitting in the director's chair working from a script he co-wrote with Joe Cornish, it probably won't be long until we get an answer to this long-lasting riddle about the identity of the incredible shrinking superhero, but for now we have just as much information as we have always had.
