Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is Marvel’s greatest box office failure this 2023.
Apart from the threequel’s mixed reception from MCU fans, the official debut of Jonathan Majors as the new big bad Kang the Conqueror has been rendered useless amid his sexual assault controversy.
Another part of the controversy Ant-Man 3 faced was the replacement of original Cassie actor Emma Fuhrmann with Kathryn Newton.
This sudden recast left MCU fans questioning the intent behind the decision. Especially since Fuhrmann was not even aware she was being replaced in the first place.
As much as the fans kept theorizing over the miscommunication, Ant-Man 3 director Peyton Reed has actually released his comment on the matter.
On the audio commentary for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (via The Direct), Reed explained the biggest reason behind the replacement actor.
“We’ve just introduced our now 18-year-old Cassie Lang. Kathryn Newton, of course, an actor who I admired for a long time,” Reed said.
Reed implied they needed an ‘older’ version from the second film, “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.”
READ MORE: Why Is Emma Fuhrmann Replaced by Kathryn Newton As Cassie Lang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania?
While Reed did not exactly mention Fuhrmann not fitting the bill, he did add: “[Cassie has to be] someone who can seem like Scott Lang’s daughter” in the sense of “having that messy quality” she picks up from her father.
Many MCU fans were baffled at the idea of Fuhrmann not getting her huge break.
In spite of Fuhrmann having only seconds of screen time as the grown-up Cassie, her role was significantly expanded in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
It remains to be seen up ‘til today as to why Fuhrmann’s portrayal of Cassie Newton wouldn’t count as “seeming like” Scott Lang’s daughter.
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