It looks like Bad Bunny won't be stepping into the ring as the superpowered wrestler El Muerto any time soon.
The feature project, which had Jonás Cuarón, the son of filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón, in the director’s chair, was slated for a Jan. 12, 2024, release date, but Sony announced Wednesday that it had taken the title off its release schedule.
Muerto was to have been the first live-action Marvel project to star a Latino character. El Muerto is an antihero and the son of a luchador, or Mexican wrestler.
The project had not even started shooting, so making that date would have been either a race or a non-starter. Sources say the project fell victim to the ongoing writers strike; the script needed additional work as of mid-spring, but services could not be rendered in time.
The feature was also not yet cast but sources say that the studio was making choices and had been circling professional wrestler Mercedes Varnado, known by her stage name as Sasha Banks, for a role, and Marvin Jones III for the role of the crime lord known as Tombstone. Jones previously voiced the character in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Another factor in the release undating was Bad Bunny’s touring schedule, which had firmed up while the movie was dallying. It is unclear what the fate of the project will be as it’s not clear how long Bad Bunny can remain attached.
In taking Muerto off the schedule, Sony made a series of other theatrical shifts, including moving the GameStop feature Dumb Money up to Sept. 22 from Oct. 30. The Craig Gillespie film stars Paul Dano and tells the story of everyday investors who bet big on the gaming store. The studio also moved Legendary’s The Book of Clarence to Jan. 12, 2024, from Sept. 22 of this year. The biblical-era film stars LaKeith Stanfield and is from director Jeymes Samuel.
Sony, which controls the film rights to Spider-Man, has already released two Venom features, and recently released the first trailer for Kraven the Hunter, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson and due out Oct. 6. It also has Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney’s Madame Web for Feb. 16, 2024.
I am all for Latinos finally getting their own superhero filmon the big screen (I'm actually pretty excited to see Blue Beetle in August), but when I first heard they were making El Muerto I wasn't all that excited.
Quiet as it's kept, I'm not really all that fond of these Spider-Man antihero spin-off films (didn't really care for any of the Venom films, and I absolutely despised Morbius), and I wasn't all that excited after watching the trailer for Kraven The Hunter (although Aaron Taylor Johnson looks hot as hell in the title role).
Should El Muerto should still get made down the road, hire a Latino actor instead of a popular musician who's popularity I feel will be a distraction to people not familiar with the character he's playing.
Update: On Friday it was reported (according to One Take News) that Bad Bunny has dropped out of starring in ‘El Muerto’ which will now be recast. I still stand ten toes down regarding my thoughts on these antihero Spider Man solo films, but I think it was a wise decision for Benito to walk away.
His music career is hot right now, and I'd rather see a Latino actor with a few films under his belt take on the role than some popular musicician who I don't feel has what it takes to carry an entire film on his back this early in his acting career.
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