Bad Bunny, a Puerto Rican musician known as the King of Latin Trap, tried his hand at acting when he made an appearance in Brad Pitt’s Bullet Train. Despite his brief on-screen time, he received praise for his acting abilities. Unexpectedly, the musician who has managed to stay in the news has also entered the world of professional wrestling, competing in matches at Backlash in 2023 and WrestleMania 37 in 2021 for the American organization WWE.
Fans who were eager to see Bad Bunny in one of the biggest projects, the Spider-Man spinoff film El Muerto, will have to wait a little longer to witness the artist on-screen, as the movie has now received a depressing update. Fans have, however, always applauded his popularity and ability to try new things while staying true to his music. Let’s find out more.
Bad Bunny is no longer attached to Sony Pictures’ El Muerto
In a recent cover story interview with Vanity Fair, Bad Bunny, real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio was asked about his highly anticipated Spider-Man spinoff movie El Muerto, which was removed from the Sony Pictures’ release calendar in June 2023. Bad Bunny said,
“I don’t know what to say,” and was followed by an awkward silence and his publicist Sujeylee Solá prompting him not to answer the question since it’s a delicate matter, but chimed in by stating, “Obviously, it’s out.” This confirms that the artist is no longer attached to the highly awaited project.
Sony Pictures recently moved around a bunch of movies that are expected to release soon, including Kraven the Hunter starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Madame Web, starring Dakota Johnson but the fans were quick to notice that the Spider-Man spin-off, El Muerto, was taken off the calendar, which raised speculations about the project being either scrapped or delayed.
Bad Bunny’s touring schedule conflicted with the movie
El Muerto was announced at CinemaCon 2022 with Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group President Sanford Panitch stating that Bad Bunny’s casting for the role of Marcus Estrada de la García seemed perfect. He said, “Sometimes we get lucky with perfect casting. We think audiences are going to be excited by where these Marvel characters are headed.”
But it has now been revealed that the filming of the movie, whose script had been penned down by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer and was being directed by Jonás Cuarón, was expected to begin in August 2023 as it was scheduled for a release in 2024. However, the ongoing WGA strike had led the production to a halt as the script needed some tweaking.
Bad Bunny’s touring schedule is also one of the reasons why the artist decided to exit the project as the studio was finding it difficult to find time to shoot the movie around his schedule. It has not been confirmed if the movie has been scrapped or will Sony Pictures revive it with someone else post-strikes, but Bad Bunny, who seemed pretty excited at the time of the announcement of the project back in 2022 will no longer appear as El Muerto on-screen.
Bad Bunny wishes to feature in a historical movie with a little action
In his interview with Vanity Fair, the artist was asked about his plans in terms of acting, to which he said,
“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.”
Bad Bunny last year at CinemaCon, when El Muerto was announced, addressed the audience by stating “It’s incredible. I love wrestling. I grew up watching it, and now I’m a wrestler. That’s why I love this character. I think it’s the perfect role [for] me. It will be epic.”
El Muerto, who crossed paths with Spider-Man in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #16 and #17 comics, would have been the first Latino character to lead a Marvel live-action movie (standalone movie). The makers believed that the character had some potential for a solo movie, but now, after Bunny’s exit, nothing can be said. There has not been an official announcement regarding the movie yet.
Kraven the Hunter is scheduled for release on August 30, 2024, and Madame Web on February 14, 2024.
Source: VanityFair
Frequently asked questions
Did Bad Bunny confirm the El Muerto movie is cancelled?
In a September 2023 Vanity Fair cover interview, Bad Bunny said “I don’t know what to say” when asked about El Muerto, and his publicist Sujeylee Sola chimed in with “Obviously, it’s out” – effectively confirming he is no longer attached to the Spider-Man spin-off. Sony had already quietly removed El Muerto from its release calendar in June 2023. The studio has not officially stated whether the film is fully scrapped or could be revived with someone else.
Why is Bad Bunny no longer attached to Sony’s El Muerto?
The article cites two factors. Bad Bunny’s busy touring schedule made it hard for the studio to film around his availability, and the WGA writers’ strike halted production while the script still needed revisions. Filming had been expected to begin in August 2023 for a 2024 release before the project stalled.
Who is El Muerto and why did the casting matter to Marvel fans?
El Muerto (Marcus Estrada de la Garcia) is a masked-wrestler character who crossed paths with Spider-Man in the comics Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #16 and #17. Sony announced Bad Bunny in the role at CinemaCon 2022, promoting the film as a chance for the first Latino character to headline a standalone Marvel live-action movie. With Bad Bunny’s exit and no replacement announced, that plan is now in limbo.
