CinemaCon started off with a surprise tonight, as Sony Pictures announced during their panel that Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny is leading a new Marvel/Sony picture, El Muerto.
In the comics, El Muerto, aka Juan Carlos Estrada Sanchez, is the son of a luchador who inherits the powers of “El Muerto”, the powers and mask of a super-powered wrestler. He first appeared in Marvel comics when he has altercation with Spider-Man at a charity wrestling event.
READ: Sony’s Spider-Verse Films Shift Release Dates
Bad Bunny is no stranger to wrestling, which makes him the ideal person to bring El Muerto to life. He is a life-long wrestling fan, and just last year participated in WWE’s WrestleMania where he underwent training to learn several advanced moves. Sony seems excited to work with Bad Bunny, as they gave him free reign to pick the character he wanted to bring to life from the Spider-Man comics. Bad Bunny appears equally invested in this film, as he scoured Spider-Man literature to find a character to portray, eventually coming across the relatively obscure El Muerto.
Bad Bunny can be seen in Narcos: Mexico and the upcoming Bullet Train with fellow Spider-Verse actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson. It’s worth noting that it was his performance in Bullet Train that persuaded Sony executives to cast Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kraven the Hunter, and it appears the same happened with Bad Bunny, as his character had some of the highest praise from test screenings per Deadline.
READ: Aaron Taylor-Johnson Lands the Titular Role In Sony’s ‘Kraven The Hunter’ Film
El Muerto will be the first Latin-led superhero film for Marvel and is slated to open exclusively in theaters on January 12, 2024.
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