Credit: Marvel StudiosAfter making her Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debut as the daughter of Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), actress Kathryn Newton is setting her sights towards an entirely different genre for her “gory” new horror movie, Abigail (2024).
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Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania might not have been the smash hit Marvel Studios expected it to be upon its release last February, but it was instrumental in setting up the future of an essential member of the Young Avengers: Cassie Lang. Plus, less-than-favorable reviews aside, the film did manage to gross $476.1 million at the worldwide box office — a somewhat disappointing haul for an MCU outing, but impressive in and of itself.
Kathryn Newton replaced actress Emma Fuhrmann – who played Cassie in Avengers: Endgame (2019) — for the Ant-Man threequel. And even though her superhero future looks bright as Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) and a rumored MCU Young Avengers movie draw nearer, Newton seems pretty intent on exploring a different genre: horror.
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Coming off her latest role in writer Diablo Cody’s Lisa Frankenstein (2024), Newton spoke with Collider, where she revealed that her upcoming horror flick Abigail is the “goriest” and “scariest” movie she’s ever been in — quite a drastic departure from her Marvel gig:
I would say ‘Abigail’ is the scariest movie I’ve done, the most gory movie I’ve done. I have played a couple of monsters, huh? I’m getting my monster belt. I need to get a letterman jacket with my little monster characters.
Arguably, Newton has made much more of an impact in the horror realm than with her brief stint in the Ant-Man franchise, which makes sense given just how poorly received Quantumania was. And after playing a bloodthirsty vampire, a mad scientist of sorts, and an accidental serial killer in Freaky (2020), she’s certainly not wrong in saying she’s amassed a truly bone-chilling portfolio.
As for her MCU future, Newton told The Hollywood Reporter that she would “very much also jump at the opportunity to work with Marvel Studios again” when asked about the possibility of a Young Avengers project but that she is “just trying to get through the day” and, understandably, wants to “finish one movie and then let’s continue.”
Although her return to Marvel remains unclear, it hardly sounds as though Newton is retiring her superhero mantle anytime soon. Regardless, it’s refreshing to hear the up-and-coming actress share her love for the often overlooked horror-thriller genre — and it seems like some exciting things are in the works between her and Blumhouse founder/producer Jason Blum.
Hopefully, fans and critics will be a little easier on Kathryn Newton when she returns to the MCU somewhere down the line.
Do you think Kathryn Newton’s Cassie Lang deserves her shot at MCU redemption? Let us know in the comments below!