Why was Cassie Lang recast in Ant-Man 3? Director explains

Cassie Lang has been a staple of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) since 2015's Ant-Man. She went from being a young innocent girl who adored her father Scott Lang's heroism to following in his footsteps and becoming a full-fledged hero in her own right.

The character has been played by three actresses in MCU so far. Abby Ryder Fortson essayed Cassie in Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp. In Avengers: Endgame, which featured a time-skip of five years, Cassie, who survived Thanos' eradication of half-of-all-life on the planet, had grown into a teenager and as a result was played by Emma Fuhrmann.

Then on Disney's Investor Day 2020, Kevin Feige while announcing Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, announced that Cassie Lang had been recast again, this time with Kathryn Newton taking on the role.

However, the recasting of Fuhrmann to Newton for the role of Cassie Lang has surprised and shocked many fans, who believe the former was perfect in the short screentime she had in Endgame. For a long time, fans did not know why it happened, but now the director of Quantumania, Peyton Reed, has given an official reason.

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Peyton Reed reveals that an actress of Kathryn Newton's caliber was needed for Cassie Lang so she could "really hang with Paul Rudd"

Peyton Reed reveals that he needed an actress of Kathryn Newton's caliber for the role of Cassie Lang in Ant-Man 3 so as to attain the father-daughter chemistry with Paul Rudd which they were aiming for (Image via Marvel)

In an audio commentary for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, director Peyton Reed revealed that the reason why Cassie Lang was recast from Emma Fuhrmann to Kathryn Newton in between Avengers: Endgame and Quantumania. The director stated that an actress of Newton's caliber was needed so the character could have the father-daughter chemistry with Paul Rudd that the creative team was aiming for:

"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. 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."

Peyton Reed then revealed that the Cassie in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania needed to be "sharp and quick and funny," which he believed Kathryn Newton possesses. He also called her a world-class golfer and said that she had the physicality required for the role.

The writer for Quantumania, Jeff Loveness, then added to Reed's statements, revealing that Newton had that sense of humor and that messy quality which was quite similar to Paul Rudd's Scott Lang:

"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."

The Quantumania director then showered praise on Abby Ryder Fortson's portrayal of Cassie Lang in the first two Ant-Man films and claimed that she had a "winning personality".

Peyton Reed then further supported the recasting of Cassie Lang by claiming how the 18 year old version of the character in Ant-Man 3, played by Newton, was a completely different character from Fortson and Fuhrmann's portrayals in the first two Ant-Man films and Avengers: Endgame, respectively, because she had "ideas of her own".

As of now, it remains to be seen as to when Cassie will show up again in the MCU. There are, however, two possibilities.

One possibility would be the character showing up in a rumored Young Avengers project. Marvel has been slowly planting the seeds for the crossover by introducing various members of the group in multiple projects, including Kate Bishop in Hawkeye, Billy and Tommy Maximoff in WandaVision and Kid Loki in Loki.

Another project where Newton could reprise her role as Cassie Lang would be in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Due to her encounters and fights with Kang alongside her father and Hope van Dyne, she would prove invaluable in helping the other heroes fight the time-travelling warlord.

Nonetheless, despite the recasting of Emma Fuhrmann to Kathryn Newton, Cassie Lang has a bright future ahead of her in the MCU.