El Muerto, the highly anticipated Spider-Man spinoff featuring Bad Bunny, has met an untimely demise, at least for the time being.
Initially set for a January 12, 2024, release with Jonás Cuarón, the talented son of renowned filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón, at the helm, the future of the project has taken an unexpected turn. On Wednesday, Sony revealed that it has removed the title from its release schedule.
Muerto was poised to make history as the first live-action Marvel production featuring a Latino protagonist. The character, El Muerto, is an enigmatic antihero and the son of a legendary luchador, or Mexican wrestler.
The project had yet to commence production, making the initial release date a challenging goal to achieve. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the ongoing writers’ strike played a significant role in derailing the project. The script required further refinement as of the middle of spring, but due to the strike, the necessary services couldn’t be provided in a timely manner.
Additionally, the casting process had not been finalized, but insiders reveal that the studio had been considering professional wrestler Mercedes Varnado, known as Sasha Banks, for a role. They were also eyeing Marvin Jones III to portray the crime lord known as Tombstone, a character he previously voiced in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Furthermore, the decision to remove the film from the release schedule was influenced by Bad Bunny’s touring commitments, which had solidified while the movie was facing delays. The future of the project remains uncertain as it is unclear how long Bad Bunny can maintain his involvement.