David Dastmalchian is finally addressing his new role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After it was confirmed that the actor was playing a new character in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, many assumed that he'll be portraying a multiversal counterpart of his original character Kurt, one of Scott Lang's ex-con pals.
Turns out, he has been recast as Veb, a slime-like creature from the Quantum Realm. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, the MCU star recalled how director Peyton Reed reached out to him to let him know that his character Kurt was getting excluded from the Phase Five epic.
He said: "The first call was the bad news call," he said. "[Ant-Man director Peyton Reed] is my friend. We're not just co-workers. He's become a dear friend of mine over the years, and he said, 'David, I'm sad to say we've been trying to break this story, and it's just a very crowded story with so much to do. It takes place off Earth, and it doesn't look like there's going to be space to do more than just a cameo. And that would not do the character justice, so I don't think Kurt is going to be a part of this. But I'll always find a way to work together.' And I said, 'I love you, man. Make the best movie you can make. I'm so excited for you.' and that was it."
Admittedly, Dastmalchian was gutted after learning that Kurt won't be part of the threequel but that's where Veb's character came into play. He continued: "So I was sad that Kurt wouldn't be part of Quantumania, but that's the way this stuff works. And it was not until quite a bit later [that I heard about Veb]. I was in the midst of filming a feature that was breaking my body. It was a very physically and emotionally demanding shoot. I was isolated from my family. It was a really dark time. And then Peyton called me. He goes, 'David, me and [writer] Jeff Loveness, we're writing these characters, and I swear to God, this character is you. I think you gotta play him. Will you read it?' He then sent me the pages, and I immediately knew Veb in my heart. So I started filming myself in my hotel room, and I figured out how I thought Veb would move and how his voice would work."
Also Read: Peyton Reed Wants a More Balanced Story for Ant-Man 4
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is screening in cinemas.
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