When Sony and Marvel first announced their upcoming live-action El Muerto film, no one was more excited than the film’s star, rapper and wrestler Bad Bunny. However, that joy was clearly short-lived as the movie was put on hiatus due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. Now, it looks like El Muerto is back in development but without Bad Bunny as its star.

This comes from a feature piece from Variety that casually mentioned – without citing any particular source – that the anti-hero comic book film was being developed again but Bad Bunny was out. The rapper/wrestler/actor first mentioned that he was no longer involved in the project in a Vanity Fair profile in September 2023, but this is the first time that we’ve heard that the El Muerto movie was going ahead without him. The report from Variety doesn’t mention how far along El Muerto is into development, but it does say that there is currently no star attached to the project.

No specific reason for Bad Bunny’s departure from El Muerto has been given by either side. It is possible that a combination of delays from the strikes of 2023, a script that was being reworked, and Bad Bunny’s extensive 2024 touring schedule has meant that he couldn’t commit to what would probably be a lengthy production process and a potential commitment to further films down the road. If the script has changed significantly since the rapper first signed on to star in the movie, it is possible they’ve simply decided to go another direction.

There is no current release date for El Muerto listed from Sony Pictures. Similarly, we don’t know what other projects Bad Bunny has lined up, though his current concert tour has him booked up through the end of May at the least.

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