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I love hearing all these rumors about THE AVENGERS movie, especially since that thing is easily a year or so away, right? I mean Joe Johnston’s THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA just started filming, and both that and THOR have to come out first. We’ve already heard rumors that Nathan Fillion was being considered for the role of Ant-Man, which would make sense, as Joss Whedon (who is helming THE AVENGERS movie) pretty much made Fillion into an eternal fan-favorite with FIREFLY. So the fine folks at ComicBookMovie.com are now saying a trusted source close to Marvel Studios is saying that Nathan Fillion will be playing Dr. Henry “Hank” Pym (a.k.a. Ant-Man). They report the actor is in final negotiations for a multi-film deal that would begin with THE AVENGERS in 2012. In another bit of business, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES star Eva Longoria may play Janet Van Dyne (Wasp), which they’re saying has long been speculated ever since she was seen leaving Marvel with a stack of Avengers comic books in 2008. The first person to be officially cast was Robert Downey Jr. (as Iron Man), and Samuel L. Jackson (as Nick Fury) is of course in the mix, and naturally Chris Evans (Captain America) and Chris Hemsworth (Thor) are on board, Jeremy Renner (THE HURT LOCKER) was recently announced as Hawkeye, and last but not least Scarlett Johansson is said to appear as Black Widow.
The site notes that at this point, they (Fillion and Longoria) might only be playing S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists. There’s no word on whether any of their super powers will be seen in the first movie. It’s already being speculated that big announcements will be made at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. I’m betting we’ll see the stars there as part of that announcement. It’s interesting to note, both Fillion and Longoria appeared together on several episodes of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, though their characters never had much interaction. Stay tuned to Bigfanboy.com for more info.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
