David Dastmalchian, who starred as the character Kurt in both 2015's Ant-Man and 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp, says he will most likely not be reprising his role in the franchise's next installment, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
While speaking with Screen Rant at the red carpet premiere for Marvel Studios' Disney+ original series Moon Knight, Dastmalchian revealed that he is not currently involved in the studio's next Ant-Man film. "It doesn't look like it... But that's okay," he said. "I know they're making something incredible. I can't wait to see what Peyton [Reed] does next. He's one of my favorite directors... He's been so busy. I have tried to stay in touch, but he's making an incredible film right now."
In the first two Ant-Man films, Dastmalchian portrayed Kurt, a thief turned security consultant. The trio of Kurt, Luis (Michael Peña) and Dave (T.I.) made up main protagonist Scott Lang's (Paul Rudd) friend group.
In late 2020, Marvel Studios officially announced Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the third Ant-Man film set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe that would see Reed return to the director's chair. At the time, Rudd was confirmed to be reprising his role as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, with Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer also confirmed to be reprising their roles as Hope van Dyne/Wasp, Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, respectively.
Additionally, Kathryn Newton was announced to be taking over the role of Cassie Lang, who was previously played by Abby Ryder Fortson and Emma Fuhrmann. Meanwhile, Jonathan Majors was confirmed to have boarded Quantumania's cast as the film's main antagonist, Kang the Conqueror. (Following the announcement, Majors made his MCU debut as "He Who Remains," a variant of Kang, in the Season 1 finale of Disney+'s Loki.) Later on, it was revealed that Bill Murray had joined the Ant-Man threequel in an undisclosed, villainous role.
Throughout all of this, however, there was absolutely no mention of Dastmalchian returning as Kurt in the new film. Moreover, in early 2021, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that T.I. (real name Clifford Joseph Harris Jr.) would not be reprising his role as Dave in Quantumania. This revelation came after Harris and his wife, Tameka "Tiny" Harris, were hit with numerous allegations of sexual abuse. It was unclear at the time if the allegations directly led to Harris' removal from the film.
Notably, it's also currently unclear whether or not Peña will be reprising his fan-favorite role of Luis in Quantumania. The actor has yet to be formally announced for the film, meaning there's a possibility that Scott's running buddies may have been written out entirely. That said, Peña's initial contract with Marvel Studios did call for at least three film appearances, meaning a reprisal could still be on the table for the next Ant-Man feature.
At any rate, Quantumania wrapped principal photography back in November. So, unless the character is added in any eleventh-hour reshoots, it seems safe to say that Dastmalchian's Kurt is sitting this one out. As for Dastmalchian himself, the actor recently made the jump from the MCU to the DC Extended Universe, portraying Abner Krill/Polka-Dot Man in the 2021 film The Suicide Squad.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is currently scheduled to release in theaters on July 28, 2023.
Source: Screen Rant