Ant-Man's Kathryn Newton originally auditioned for another MCU role – Hawkeye's Kate Bishop

Paul Rudd as Scott Lang and Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Kathryn Newton may have made her Marvel debut as Cassie Lang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but she also auditioned for none other than Hawkeye's Kate Bishop.

In Marvel Studios' Assembled: The Making of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, we get to see footage from Newton's 2019 screen test with none other than Jeremy 'Hawkeye' Renner.

Kate Bishop, created by writer Allan Heinberg and artist Cheung, first appeared in Young Avengers #1 back in 2005. She becomes the third character and first female to take over the Hawkeye name after Clint Barton is killed in Avengers #502. Hawkeye, a Disney Plus series that sees Renner's hero save the world just in time for Christmas, co-stars Hailee Steinfeld as Bishop – who becomes Barton's unlikely protege turned crime-fighting partner.

A Marvel fan account on Twitter shared stills from Newton's screen test:

In Assembled: The Making of Hawkeye, producer Trinh Tran says Kevin Feige offered Steinfeld the role of Kate Bishop after one meeting, saying, "I think in the back of Kevin’s mind, he had Hailee as Kate" (H/T GameRant). The behind-the-scenes doc doesn't go into other potential choices for Hawkeye's young protege – but now we know Newton was one of them.

Newton took over the role of Cassie Lang in a surprise move – with director Peyton Reed deciding to recast Emma Furmann. 

"She's gotta be sharp, and quick, and funny. And also, [Newton] is an athlete. She's a world-class golfer. She has the physicality for the role," Reed said of the decision to recast Cassie. (H/T ComicBook.com) "And just someone who can seem like Scott Lang's daughter. You know, what does she pick up from him? What does she go against? She's got the heart of Scott. She's also got a bit of that sense of humor, a bit of that messy quality."

Marvel Studios' Assembled: The Making of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is streaming on Disney Plus now. Marvel Studios' Assembled: The Making of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania

Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for 12DOVE currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.