In the last few decades, Marvel Comics has turned a comic book empire into a movie empire, and they continue to grow. Their newest character to move from the page to the big screen will be Ant-Man, the company announced. Any time Marvel casts a new superhero, there is uproar, but this time the critics seem to have been silenced. Paul Rudd, of Anchorman and Clueless fame, is reportedly in talks for the role, according to Variety.

Paul RuddPaul Rudd at the Anchorman 2 premiere

Ant-Man is not an especially well-known character in the comic book world, but it appears (at least recently) there is not much Marvel can do wrong. According to MTV, there have been so many different incarnations of Ant-Man, so it leaves a mystery over how Rudd will play the character. For instance, the original Ant-Man invented the technology used to create his powers, but another version has him stealing that technology.

It may not even matter which version of Ant-Man Rudd plays, because it seems that Marvel Comics are doing everything right in the 21st century. They have cast big stars, and unknowns, in their films, including Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo and even Chris Pratt. And while they have heard criticism from almost every one of those decisions, the critics and fans are usually silenced once they see Marvel's vision. And they have something else going for them in this case — who doesn't like Paul Rudd??

Chris HemsworthChris Hemsworth at the Thor - The Dark Kingdom premiere. Thor is the latest of Marvel's successes.

Marvel's recent films have killed at the box office — the Iron Man franchise itself has earned more than $2.4 billion worldwide. The Avengers earned more than $1.5 billion, and it's likely Paul Rudd will be appearing in The Avengers 3 along with Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk and others.

If you can't wait that long to see him, Rudd is starring in Anchorman 2, which hits theaters this weekend.