Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania director Peyton Reed explains there were “no versions” of the movie with fan favorite Michael Pena
Director Peyton Reed made it clear that leaving Michael Peña out of Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania was not a spontaneous decision.
The 58-year-old director, who helmed all three standalone Ant-Man films, said there were “no versions” of the film featuring Peña’s character, Luis.
“Obviously we have our Lang family, van Dyne and Pym, but we also introduce Kang, MODOK and all our Freedom Fighter characters,” he said in an interview with Well-informed person. “So we had to make decisions early on about what stories we could tell and what stories we couldn’t tell.”
He went on to say that he loves Peña’s character, as well as his fellow crooks Kurt (David Dastmalchian) and Dave (TI) supporting Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang, but saw no way to incorporate them into the film.
Peña played Luis in the first two Ant-Man films, serving as Lang’s friend and, on occasion, comic relief for the audience.
Not in the new chapter: Director Peyton Reed made it clear that leaving Michael Peña out of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was not a spontaneous decision (pictured in 2015 in Ant-Man)
Dastmalchian said he wouldn’t be in the film early last year, saying: ‘It doesn’t look like it… But it’s okay. I know they are doing something amazing. I can’t wait to see what Peyton does next.
However, that stance later changed and Dastmalchian appeared in the film as a character named Zeb.
Corey Stoll, who played the villain Yellowjacket in the first Ant-Man movie, also returned for the film, though he also played a new character.
IT, meanwhile, was dropped from Marvel Studios in 2021 after Abuse allegations were filed against the actor and rapper..
While he’s not in this particular movie, Peña has a new project coming out soon titled A Million Miles Away.
The film, which is currently in production according to IMDbis a drama that follows, ‘José Hernández, the first migrant farm worker to travel to space.’
A Million Miles Away is being directed by Alejandra Márquez Abella, who directed the movie The Good Girls and a couple of episodes of Narcos: Mexico.
Maze Runner: The Death Cure actress Rose Salazar, Never Have I Ever actress Sarayu Blue and Raising Hope’s Garret Dillahunt are set to star in the film.
‘No versions’: The 58-year-old director, who has directed all three Ant-Man standalone films, said there were no ‘versions’ of the film featuring Peña’s character Luis (pictured on February 2, 2023)
So many characters: “Obviously we have our Lang family, van Dyne and Pym, but we also introduce Kang, MODOK and all of our Freedom Fighter characters,” he said in an interview with Insider.
Couldn’t Be Incorporated: He went on to say that he loves Peña’s character, as well as his fellow crooks Kurt (David Dastmalchian) and Dave (TI) supporting Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang, but saw no way to incorporate them into the film (De left to right: TI, Peña and Dastmalchian)
New Movie Coming Soon: Though not in this particular movie, Peña has a new project coming out soon titled A Million Miles Away (pictured in 2020)
Working Together: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania follows Lang’s Hope Van Dyne and Evangeline Lilly on their journey through the microscopic Quantum Realm (pictured in Ant-Man and the Wasp)
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania follows Hope Van Dyne, played by Lang and Evangeline Lilly, on her journey through the microscopic Quantum Realm.
Jonathan Majors, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Douglas, The Good Place’s William Jackson Harper and legendary comedic actor Bill Murray are just a few of the stars set to appear in the film.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will be released in full-scale on Friday, February 17.