Back in October it was reported that Edgar Wright had narrowed his search for Ant-Man down to Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Paul Rudd. Well now the news is out and the winner of the role is…Paul Rudd.

I’m sort of surprised by the choice, but wholly delighted. Marvel continues to show the other franchises out there what you can do with the right casting (looking at you, Star Trek).

In October, I wrote: “If it is indeed one of these two who will play the diminutive superhero, we’ll get a lot more insight into how Wright envisions his version of the character based on his choice.”

So what do we make of Paul Rudd’s victory? Probably only this: Rudd, who’s already a star, is likely in for a bump in celebrity the likes he hasn’t seen since Clueless.

I’m an admirer of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and have been for years. But he’s not right for Hank Pym (unless the role requires song-and-dance routines, and who knows with Wright). It remains true, however, that Rudd is older and funnier than JGL. I’m going to assume that Wright’s contribution to Marvel will be first and foremost a comedy, and it’ll be the first in the family (though Thor was actually very funny). Given Edgar Wright’s brand of comedy, and the inherent craziness that will come with making an Ant-Man feature film, Rudd seems, in my opinion, the smarter choice.

Of course, it’s also the only detail we have about a film that won’t appear until Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (after Avengers: Age of Ultron). So any positive vibes that come from casting Rudd could be short-lived. But choosing him is intriguing enough to keep my interest piqued.

Meanwhile: To the loser goes the spoils. Joseph Gordon Levitt will be producing Sandman. More on that to come.