Key Takeaways:
– Ant-Man 3: Quantumania was a letdown for fans, receiving a low rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
– Child actor Lucas Grant was originally slated to play Wasp's son but was cut from the final edit of the film.
– Screenwriter Jeff Loveness took responsibility for the cut, citing it as a result of initially shoddy writing.
The highly anticipated movie “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”, touted as the saviour of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase 5, unfortunately, did not create the anticipated splash. The movie scored a dismal 46% on review aggregation platform, Rotten Tomatoes, much to the disappointment of eager fans worldwide.
An Unseen Storyline
One of the most intriguing plot twists in Ant-Man 3 was that Evangeline Lilly's character, Hope Pym, was initially scripted to have a son. Lucas Grant, the talented youngster known for his role in the 2023 horror film “Five Nights at Freddy's”, was appointed to bring this character to life. Regrettably, Grant's scenes were omitted from the final cut due to story alterations.
A Silver Lining for Lucas Grant
Although the missing storyline might seem like a chapter of missed opportunities, the experience definitely had its positives. Per posts on Grant's Instagram account, managed by his parents, it is evident that the young star enjoyed his time on the set. Heartwarming photos showcase Grant posing with director Peyton Reed and Lilly, who in an alternate plot arc, would've played his on-screen mother.
In fact, Mrs. Grant penned a heartfelt note revealing her son's delightful experience during the filming stage. The post also elucidates that despite losing his spot in the final edit, Lucas embraced the opportunity gratefully, acquiring memories that he would cherish for a lifetime.
Screenwriter Admits Fault
The mystery behind Lucas Grant's missing scenes was unravelled by Jeff Loveness, the screenwriter for Ant-Man 3. During an IGN interview, Loveness candidly accepted the blame for the cuts.
It appears that initially, he had designed an extensive probability storm scene, incorporating both a psychological element and the character of Grant. However, upon reflection, he deemed his writing disjointed and chose to exclude a significant portion of it. Unfortunately, this exclusion encompassed the promising young actor's scenes.
An Apology and a Missed Opportunity
Displaying a remarkable level of humility, Loveness apologized to Grant and hoped that his agent wasn't overly upset at the sudden plot pivot. He candidly confessed his writing mishaps, terming his initial draft as ‘shoddy'.
While Loveness took responsibility, fans couldn't help but question whether the inclusion of Grant's storyline could have been a saving grace for the film which faced flak for the perceived watered-down portrayal of the villain Kang.
All said and done, the audience can only speculate on the ‘what ifs', while they hope for a stronger comeback from Marvel in their future ventures.
For now, chunk of consolation for disappointed fans and especially, Lucas Grant's admirers, could be the prospect of streaming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on Disney+, dreaming up alternate endings, and wishing the talented youngster better luck in his future endeavours.
