Marvel is finally turning the gears on the long-gestating Ant-Man.

Although the Edgar Wright (The Worlds End) film is part of the studio's Phase Three scheme, work on the 2015 film is already moving forward. Set to release on July 31, barely three months after The Avengers: Age of Ultron, it is no surprise that casting is already underway.

The two frontrunners for the role of Hank Pym, also known as Ant-Man, are Joseph Gordon Levitt (Don Jon) and Paul Rudd (This Is The End), according to Variety.

When Joss Whedon announced Ultron as the main villain for the next Avengers outing, there was much speculation as to whether or not Hank Pym would be introduced in the upcoming Phase Two capstone.

Whedon, however, quickly put those rumors to rest.  

In the origin story, there was Hank Pym, so a lot of people assumed that he will be in the mix. He's not," Whedon said in a Marvel interview at Comic-Con.
"We're basically taking the things from the comics for the movies that we need and can use. A lot of stuff has to fall by the wayside."

So don't look for Pym to make an appearance in Ultron or vice versa, if Whedon is being entirely truthful.

For those looking to get an early glace at Ant-Man, Wright recently tweeted a photo that appears to be a pre-production rendition of the tiny hero.