by The 31st installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, boasted an impressive roster of actors, but Steve Martin was almost given a significant part.
With a stellar cast led by Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly that included up-and-comers like Kathryn Newton and Hollywood heavyweights like Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer, Marvel Studios’ first Phase 5 film turned heads.
Bill Murray, a comedy classic, was also a part of the Ant-Man 3 cast. He played the intriguing character of Lord Krylar in the Quantum Realm in the threequel.
Although though Murray only made this appearance once, his contribution was crucial in illuminating Janet van Dyne’s hazy past 30 years after she went subatomic.
A Near-Play for Bill Murray’s Ant-Man 3 Character by Steve Martin
In an interview with Variety, the author of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, Jeff Loveness, shared two potential replacements for Bill Murray as Krylar.
He began by praising Matt Berry, an actor, for his roles in The Book of Boba Fett and What We Do in the Shadows as the droid 8D8 and Laszlo, respectively.
“Yes. There was a couple of names tossed about. I don’t know if I can even say. I think in my in the back of my head, I had Matt Berry in mind. I just love that guy so much.”
Loveness, who identified himself as “a big Steve Martin fan.” mentioned Steve Martin as being on the shortlist for the role of Krylar in addition to Berry. The author did not believe that Martin portraying the part “ever got too far,” though.
“But obviously once Bill Murray came around, you kind of molded the voice to him. It’s almost like a Bob Hope cameo in an old movie: Just give him four minutes of runway, let him do his thing, boost the elevation a little bit, and let him get out. Matt Berry was a choice, and I’m just a big Steve Martin fan, but I don’t think that ever got too far. I think Murray pulled it off pretty great.”
Murray’s involvement in the movie was another topic of discussion between Loveness and Vital Thrills, who compared Murray’s scene to the perennial favourite What About Bob?
“Oh man! You know what? My mom, my family… I guess our family movie is ‘What About Bob?’ That’s a movie we watch almost every year and we don’t really watch a ton of movies together in a way that everyone enjoys. And in being there at the premiere with my mom watching the scene very reminiscent of the ‘What About Bob?’ dinner, kind of by intention, and to hear my mom laugh at that meant the world to me.”
The lead writer thought it would be great to have “an old pro” show up and do their best performance without lingering too long, comparing Murray’s visit to “like a weird dream” that he hasn’t even fully processed:
“I like to have an old pro come in and just kinda do what he does best. He comes in, jumps out, doesn’t overstay his welcome. It feels almost like a Bob Hope cameo or something. It just feels like an effortless kind of thing. I still haven’t quite processed that ’cause like so many good things happened in this movie. It’s almost like a weird dream. I’m not sure it happened!”
Try to picture Steve Martin in the MCU.
Steve Martin has a history in comedy that is just as impressive as anyone else’s. Martin Short, who most recently appeared in Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building with Selena Gomez, is still going strong and might have brought a mood like to Murray’s if he had played Krylar.
Fans would have found it unusual to see Martin enter the MCU, while it was already intriguing to see the former Ghostbusters star in Ant-Man 3.
After Only Murders concludes, Martin may be nearing the end of his career, but he hasn’t ruled out working on new projects.
But, Bill Murray steals the show in one of his most outrageous roles right now, adding to the madness and silliness that were evident in the Quantum Realm during the MCU’s most recent theatrical trip.
In theatres all throughout the world, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is currently showing.
