MARVEL Casting News: Kretschmann Cast As Strucker, Pena & Collins Jr. In Talks For ANT-MAN

We probably are going to have a whirlwind of casting rumors and announcements concerning The Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man in the coming weeks, so you should expect more of these posts in the future.

It appears that Marvel has found its Baron Strucker, and it’s neither Marton Csokas nor Dougray Scott, as previously rumored. The Wrap is stating that German actor Thomas Kretschmann has been cast as the ex-Nazi, current-Hydra leader in Age of Ultron. Kretschmann, who is currently playing  Van Helsing in NBC’s Dracula, has supposedly signed on for multiple films as well.

The news site claims that Strucker will face off against Captain America and Nick Fury in the film. One assumes that this will be during the present day, and Strucker’s longevity will somehow be explained away. Previous rumors state that Strucker’s appearance will be at the start of the film and most likely will be where Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch will be introduced, adding more weight to the fight taking place in the present day.

We also have a pair of actors rumored to be in talks for roles in Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man. The first also comes from The Wrap and says that World Trade Center‘s Michael Pena is in talks for a supporting role in the film, and Mario-Francisco “I can be just as wrong as El Mayimbe” Robles over at Latino Review is stating that Pacific Rim‘s Clifton Collins Jr. is also up for a role as well.

Of course, these should be taken with a grain of salt. The Wrap states in its article that Marvel denied being in negotiations with Pena, and, well, the Collins Jr. rumor comes from Latino Review. Enough said about that.

No word on what role each actor is auditioning for, be it a friend or foe of Ant-Man, or even if the actors are going up for separate roles. More on this as it develops.