Lesser known facts about Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Marvel’s Phase 5 has commenced with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the third film of the Ant-Man franchise. The film also serves as the feature film debut of the villain, Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors. Despite lukewarm reception by the critics, the film has shattered a few box-office records in its opening weekend. So for today’s Now You Know we take a look at lesser-known facts about the Marvel film starring Paul Rudd, Michelle Pfeiffer, Evangeline Lilly, Kathryn Newton, and Michael Douglas.

1. The character of Cassie Lang was originally played by Abby Ryder Fortson in the first Ant-Man. However, the five-year time jump within the plot of Avengers: Endgame, meant that Cassie had to be recast by someone older, and Emma Fuhrmann was roped in to play the character. However, the 21-year old was unceremoniously dropped from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in favour of Big Little Lies star Kathryn Newton. Fuhrmann claimed on social media that she did not receive any communication regarding the matter from Disney or Marvel Studios. She also added that she came across the news from an online report when Disney released details of the film at their Investor Day in 2020.
2. One of the film’s biggest surprises was the return of Corey Stoll as Darren Cross, who was presumed dead after the first Ant-Man film. In Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania he returns in a new avatar as the villainous M.O.D.O.K. Screenwriter Jeff Loveness said that the MCU’s iteration of the character has been heavily influenced by Kevin Kline's depiction of Otto in the 1988 film A Fish Called Wanda and Frank Grimes voiced by Hank Azaria from the iconic episode from The Simpsons titled "Homer's Enemy".
3. Actress Katheryn Newton had to choose between becoming a pro golfer or an actress before she started out in Hollywood. In fact, being an avid golfer may have been the sole reason why Bill Murray played a guest role in the new film. Murray and Newton met and bonded over their passion for golfing and he even asked her if he could join the cast of the film. Newton joked in an interview that she brought Murray to the MCU.
4. Character actor David Dastmalchian has earned quite a reputation over the years, collaborating with renowned filmmakers such as Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve, and James Gunn. He previously played the role of a thief named Kurt in the 2015 film Ant-Man and its sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp. In the third film of the trilogy, he lends his voice to a new character created for the film named Veb, a creature from the Quantum Realm made of a mushy liquid called ooze.
5. Despite criticism surrounding the film, Jonathan Majors received plaudits for his take on Kang, the new main villain of the MCU. However, his casting could have taken a completely different route after he almost walked out of the studio before the first meeting. Majors who was fresh out of drama school at the time allegedly grew tired of being made to wait for a long period of time and decided to leave. Marvel’s casting director Sarah Finn walked out of her office just in time to meet him and the rest as they say is history.
6. Majors also recently revealed in an interview that he refuses to watch his big screen debut for the MCU. His character was first introduced in the Marvel TV series Loki, and he will play the role of the primary antagonist for Marvel’s Phases 5 and 6, leading up to the 2025 film Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and its sequel for the following year Avengers: Secret Wars. Majors argues that he does not want to be influenced by his performance in the film as he prepares for his next projects for the MCU. In fact, he also claims that he does not even watch the playbacks during production.

Well that's the Now You Know episode for today on OTTplay , until the next time its your host Nikhil signing out.

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• Written by Ryan Gomez