Evangeline Lilly Might Join 'Ant Man' Cast

Could "Ant Man" be the next big superhero movie? With the news that Evangeline Lilly is in talks to join the film's cast, the movie is looking a lot less like an obscure comic title destined to be a minor note in the summer of 2015 and more like a potential hit.

If Lilly takes the undisclosed role, she'll join Paul Rudd, who will star as the film's title character, and Michael Douglas, who will play Hank Pym, the original Ant Man and the guy who invented the technology that allows Rudd to get really, really small.

Lilly, who is best known for her role as Kate in the TV series "Lost," has most recently had a high-profile role as an elf warrior in "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug."

So far, the casting of "Ant Man" has triggered mostly positive reactions from fans and observers. Rudd's casting immediately lifted the project from second-tier status, and the addition of Lilly would no doubt help the film to gain even more pre-release traction.

This is in contrast to the upcoming sequel to "Man of Steel," which has faced criticism for its casting choices, first with the decision to cast Ben Affleck as Batman, then with the choice of petite actress Gal Gadot to play Wonder Woman, and most recently with the addition of nebbishy Jesse Eisenberg in the role of Lex Luthor. The sequel was originally scheduled to go head to head with "Ant Man" in July of 2015, but now the Superman movie has retreated, delaying its release to May 2016.