Back in April 2022, it was announced that rapper, professional wrestler and Bullet Train actor Bad Bunny would star in El Muerto, one of the movies making up Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. However, this past June, Sony removed El Muerto from its calendar, leaving the project’s fate in question. Now even more bad news about El Muerto has dropped, and I have a bad feeling about this particular Spider-Man spinoff.
While being profiled for Vanity Fair, Bad Bunny was asked about what happened with El Muerto, which was supposed to give him his first opportunity to shine as a leading actor. As described in the article, an “awkward silence” ripped across the table, and Sujeylee Solá, his publicist, said, “Next question.” Bad Bunny then added that he didn’t know what to say and called the issue “delicate,” to which Solá added about the movie, “Obviously, it’s out.” That’s not to say that Bad Bunny is leaving acting behind him, though. Far from it, as he also said the following:
As a movie consumer myself, I’m not one to watch a lot of action movies. I’d even say it’s my least favorite genre. I would really like to play other kinds of things, like a little bit more drama, romance too, or comedy… [maybe] a history movie with a little action in it.
So for those following along at home, Bad Bunny is no longer attached to El Muerto. Considering that the movie, which is based off a character who’s literally only appeared in the comics twice, was developed for the performer after Sony Pictures executives saw his performance in Bullet Train (which can be streamed with a Netflix subscription), I can’t help wondering if his exit means that the project will be dropped altogether. Sure, the studio could just find another actor to cast in the title role, and with barely any Marvel Comics presence, there would still be a lot of freedom for filmmakers to put their own spin on this luchador who fought Spider-Man in the pages of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #16 and #17.
Still, considering how few updates we’ve gotten about El Muerto over the course of nearly a year and a half, this latest update doesn’t bode well for its chances of survival. Let’s also not forget that when the spinoff lost its January 12, 2024 release date, it’d been reported that the script needed “additional work.” So with its starring actor gone and the script being nowhere close to cemented, El Muerto face a steeper uphill battle to getting made. As for why Bad Bunny’s no longer working on El Muerto, while it’d previously been said that his touring schedule was another factor leading to the spinoff losing its release date, it wasn’t clarified if that, or any kind of time constraints, was the main reason for his permanent departure, or if creative differences that played into the decision.
Although Bad Bunny was the only actor officially attached to El Muerto, The Mandalorian’s Sasha Banks and Black Lightning’s Marvin Jones III, a.k.a. Krondon, were reportedly being looked at to star opposite him. While it’s unclear who Banks would play, Krondon was being circled for Tombstone, a longtime Spider-Man villain whom the actor previously voiced in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Jonás Cuarón and Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer were tapped to direct and write El Muerto, respectively, last October, but we’ll have to wait and see if they’re still game to work on that project now that Bad Bunny’s gone.
Keep your eyes peeled on CinemaBlend for more updates on where things stand with El Muerto, and remember that Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has more movies on the way. Madame Web is next up, arriving in theaters on February 14, 2024, followed by Venom 3 on July 12 and Kraven the Hunter on August 30. Browse through the 2024 movies schedule to see what other theatrical entertainment is lined up for next year.