Ant-Man 3 Director Explains Decision to Recast Cassie Lang

Kathryn Newton became the third actor to portray within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making her MCU debut during the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. While it's well-known Marvel had to cast an older actor for the character after Abby Ryder Fortson played the role in the first two Ant-Man films, many fans were left wondering why Marvel Studios replaced Emma Fuhrmann, the actor cast in the role for Avengers: Endgame. Now that Quantumania has been released digitally, Ant-Man helmer Peyton Reed has explained why Newton was brought into the project.

"We've just introduced our now 18-year-old Cassie Lang. Kathryn Newton, of course, an actor who I have admired for a long time," Reed says on the audio commentary for Quantumania (via The Direct). And when we were talking about Cassie in this movie, she's aged five years since the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp. And I wanted someone in that role who could really hang with Paul Rudd and sort of not be left in the dust."

The filmmaker goes on the applaud Newton's acting and athletic prowess.

"She's gotta be sharp, and quick, and funny. And also, [Newton] is an athlete. She's a world-class golfer. She has the physicality for the role," he adds. "And just someone who can seem like Scott Lang's daughter. You know, what does she pick up from him? What does she go against? She's got the heart of Scott. She's also got a bit of that sense of humor, a bit of that messy quality."

Here's how Marvel describes the trip into the Quantum Realm: "In the film, which officially kicks off phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Super-Hero partners Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, with Hope's parents Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible. Jonathan Majors joins the adventure as Kang."

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is now available for purchase through digital marketplaces ahead of its physical home media release on May 16th. It has yet to be confirmed when the movie will hit Disney+.