Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania director Peyton Reed explains why Cassie Lang was replaced in the film. Even though Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has become one of the most controversial chapters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe due to mediocre reviews and disappointing box office results, the film has made an important choice regarding Ant-Man. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was based on the relationship between Scott Lang, played by Paul Rudd, and his daughter Cassie. New actress Kathryn Newton smoothly replaced the previous performer of the young hero. Now Reed explains why she chose Newton to play Cassie.
In the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania audio commentary (via The Direct), Reed explained why he cast Newton in the role of Cassie. According to the director, he has long admired the talent of Newton who has both the acting skills and the physicality necessary to play 18-year-old Cassie. Reed said she wanted someone who she “could hold her own against Paul Rudd and not be left behind.” The director does not name Cassie’s actress in Avengers: Endgame, Emma Fuhrmann, but only compares Newton with the previous interpreter of Cassie in the Ant-Man series, Abby Ryder Fortson. Below is the full quote:
“We just introduced our new 18-year-old Cassie Lang. Kathryn Newton, obviously an actress I’ve admired for a long time. By the time we were talking about Cassie in this movie, it had been five years since the events of ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp’. I wanted someone for that role who could hold her own against Paul Rudd and not be left behind. She had to be smart, fast and funny. (Newton) is also an athlete. She is a world class golfer. She has the physicality of the role ”.
“It’s a tricky thing, because Abby Ryder Fortson, who played six and nine-year-old Cassie in the first two films, has a winning personality. Now that we’re with 18-year-old Cassie, you must have really relished the idea of going, ‘Oh, wow! She has become this person.’”
The new Cassie Lang is now an adult with her own superhero suit in the MCU, and there are numerous possibilities for Newton to take the character on new adventures. With Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania being the project responsible for introducing the MCU’s new big bad Kang the Conqueror, Ant-Man’s family will likely be heavily involved in the battle to protect the multiverse from the evil Council of Kangs. Kang’s team of multiversal variants introduced in one of the post-credits scenes of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania.
Newton’s Cassie Lang could play a major role in both upcoming Avengers films – The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars – as superheroes from the MCU, and possibly some from across the multiverse, band together to stop the Kangs menace. Cassie’s possible role in the next two Avengers movies could lead to the young heroine forming a version of her on the team, which has already been heard as a rumor about Marvel’s future plans.
There have been rumors of a Young Avengers series in development. At 18, Cassie could become one of the leaders of the team. Phase 4 of the MCU has focused on opening the door for new characters to replace MCU veterans in the future. Names like Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop and Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez are likely set to land roles if the series is in development. Given the influx of young heroes in Phase 4 of the MCU, it seems Newton still has a long way to go after her debut in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Source: Ant-Man and the Wasp audio commentary: Quantumania (via The Direct)