The upcoming release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Ant-Man 3) revealed that Cassie Lang has been recast, which is believed to be due to Kathryn Newton’s rising star power.
The first time that Marvel Cinematic Universe movie fans were introduced to Cassie Lang was in 2015 when Ant-Man was first released.
At the time, Cassie Lang was played by young actress, Abby Ryder Fortson, who returned to the role in 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp.
But in 2018, Fortson was recast, as Emma Fuhrmann was cast as Cassie Lang on Avengers: Endgame as there was a five-year jump between the last Ant-Man film and Endgame.
But the surprise came when the trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was released, as it confirmed that Fuhrmann was recast, with Kathryn Newton now in the role. This is believed to be due to Newton’s rising star power.
Reason behind Cassie Lang’s initial recast
As highlighted before, Abby Ryder Fortson was initially cast as Ant-Man’s young daughter, Cassie Lang.
The young actress played the role for two of the MCU films including Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp, which were released in 2015 and 2018 respectively.
However, as Avengers: Endgame is said to have taken place five years after the events of the 2018 blockbuster, recasting young Fortson by introducing Emma Fuhrmann as the teenage version of Cassie Lang made sense to show the growth of the teen.
As such, this was not as jarring as the latest recasting.
Ant-Man 3: Why did they recast Cassie Lang?
Prior to the release of the official trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which is the third instalment in the Ant-Man series of MCU films, there was already clues that Emma Fuhrmann would not return to reprise her role as Cassie Lang after her debut as the teenage superhero in Avengers: Endgame.
This is as in 2020, President of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, had alluded to this when he shared the name of Ant-Man 3, along with the main returning cast including Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, and Michelle Pfeiffer, with Jonathan Majors joining the cast as Kang the Conqueror. All the while, he did not mention Fuhrmann.
Moreover, in 2022 at the San Diego Comic-Con, it was confirmed that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania would mark the beginning of the MCU’s Phase 5.
This made the recasting of Fuhrmann to Kathryn Newton more understandable, considering what the recast means in the long run.
It is believed that Cassie Lang is set to play an important role in the MCU future as she will be part of the second generation of superheroes.
Cassie will play the superhero known as Stature/ Stinger or Ant-Girl, and she will later join the Young Avengers, meaning that the actress playing the character needs to have promising star power, which Newton seemingly possesses.
Why was Kathryn Newton cast as Cassie Lang?
Kathryn Newton is believed to have been the ideal recast as Cassie Lang in the MCU because of her rising star power in Hollywood.
She started her professional career at the age of five in 2002, and she has earned notable credits as an actress on series and films like Freaky, Big Little Lies, The Society, Blockers, and her debut blockbuster experience as a cast member of Pokémon: Detective Pikachu.
Moreover, it has already been confirmed that she will also reprise her role as Cassie Lang for Avengers: Secret Wars, which is slated for a 2026 release.
Kathryn Newton on playing Cassie Lang
Kathryn Newton’s appearance at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con was the first time that MCU fans got to hear from the young actress on her excitement towards playing the role.
Moreover, she seemed to tease her long-term casting as Cassie Lang by stating, “It would be really great if they did the Young Avengers. I’m a fan of the Young Avengers. I’m a fan of Kate Bishop; I know [she] and Cassie are supposed to be friends in the comics. I think that would be really exciting. I know Cassie’s love story”.
What is Emma Fuhrmann doing after being recast?
After playing the role of Cassie Lang on Avengers: Endgame, Emma Fuhrman did not have notable roles, and most of her subsequent roles were single guest and cameo appearances.
This includes appearances on shows like Station and her main supporting role on the movie for television Murder in the Vineyards.
But after 2020, the actress and producer has not starred in any production. It is believed that a part of the reason for her absence and recasting was the fact that she may have decided to focus on her studies, as the actress is currently 21 years old.