Why Was Cassie Lang Recast in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’?

While fans are excited for the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, some may notice that Scott Lang (Paul Rudd)’s daughter, Cassie, looks a little different. The new sequel stars Kathryn Newton as Cassie and will see her suit up for the first time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as her superhero alter-ego, Stature. However, Newton will actually be the third actress to portray Cassie Lang in the MCU. The role originated with Abby Ryder Fortson, who portrayed Cassie in both Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp.

In Avengers: Endgame, Foster was replaced by Emma Fuhrmann, who portrayed an older version of the character following the blip. While Fuhrmann and Rudd offered one of the most touching scenes of the film—when their characters reunite for the first time in five years—the MCU surprised viewers by opting to recast Cassie a second time, enlisting Kathryn Newton for the role in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. While Cassie has largely appeared as a side character in the Ant-Man and Avengers films, she will take on a lead role in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Cassie is gearing up to become quite an important character. While the MCU has been stocking up on young heroes in recent times, Cassie has been around for far longer than Tommy (Jett Klyne) and Billy (Julian Hilliard), Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), Kid Loki (Jack Veal), and America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez). If the MCU really is setting up a Young Avengers project, Cassie will be the most familiar character of the bunch. However, she is the only potential Young Avengers member to be recast in the MCU so far.

Why was Cassie Lang recast in Avengers: Endgame?

The first recasting of Cassie is fairly easy to explain. In Ant-Man and its sequel, Abby Ryder Fortson was an adorable and age-appropriate representation of the younger Lang. Cassie, like Fortson, was just 10 years old during the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp, which premiered in 2018. However, Avengers: Endgame, which premiered just a year later in 2019, featured a five-year time jump. Since Cassie was among those who were not blipped, she aged five years. This put her character’s age at 15 in the film, while the previous actress, Fortson, was only about 11. As a result, the MCU cast Emma Fuhrmann, best known for her roles in Blended and Lost in the Sun.

Around 17 years old at the time, Fuhrmann was the perfect age for Cassie’s cameo. In the film, her father, Scott, is stuck in the Quantum realm when the blip occurs, leading many to believe he was among those who vanished. When he escapes the realm and returns to Earth, he discovers he has been gone for five years and finds he nearly doesn’t recognize his now teenage daughter. The two share a tearful embrace as they are reunited for the first time in a half-decade.

Why was Cassie recast in Ant-Man 3?

When Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania began development in 2020, it was announced that Newton had been cast as Cassie in the film. While Marvel has never explicitly addressed the reason for the recasting, it likely had to do with experience and star power. This is a rather common phenomenon in Hollywood, where a lesser-known actor will introduce a character in a supporting role, but, when the character is upgraded to a leading role, a more well-known actor is cast. For example, Hollywood newcomer Parker Corno was introduced as Homelander (Anthony Starr)’s son, Ryan, in a brief scene at the end of season 1 in The Boys. When Ryan was elevated to a recurring character, he was replaced by Big Little Lies star Cameron Crovetti.

This is believed to be the case with Newton’s replacement of Fuhrmann in the MCU. Newton is a bit older than Fuhrmann and has appeared in big projects like Paranormal Activity 4, Lady Bird, Big Little Lies, and Pokémon Detective Pikachu. She also has previous experience with action, having starred in Freaky, in which she played the physically demanding role of a young woman whose body is inhabited by a serial killer. While it is a common occurrence in Hollywood for characters to be recast based on “star power,” it doesn’t make it any less disappointing for the original actors. Fuhrmann responded to the news of the recasting with both sadness and gratitude for her time as Cassie:

Time-jumps and Hollywood technicalities have resulted in Cassie being recast multiple times, but each actress has played a vital role in bringing the character to life in the MCU. We’re excited to see where Newton takes the character in her next chapter.

(featured image: Marvel Studios)