Is El Muerto Canceled? Bad Bunny Confirms Exit From Spider-Man Spin-Off Movie
It appears the Spider-Man spinoff movie "El Muerto" movie is in trouble, as singer, rapper, and actor Bad Bunny has confirmed in a new interview that the film is not moving forward, at least with him in the titular role.
At CinemaCon 2022, Sony made the surprise announcement of a solo film starring the chart-topping singer and "Bullet Train" actor centered around the Spider-Man antihero, El Muerto. The news was met with a mix of excitement and confusion, as the superpowered wrestler only has two comic book appearances to date, in "Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" #6 and 7 by Peter David and Roger Cruz, and hardly seemed like a character who was destined for his own solo film. However, with Bad Bunny riding high after a well-received WWE appearance being tapped for the role of El Muerto, the project was fast-tracked into production with Jonas Cuaron ("Gravity," "Chupa") directing. Despite the initial hype around the movie, which had a January 2024 release date, "El Muerto" was removed from Sony's release schedule in June amid the ongoing writer's strike.
While the fate of "El Muerto" didn't look great after its removal from Sony's schedule, Bad Bunny himself just put a seemingly final nail in the coffin of the project.
Bad Bunny finally talks El Muerto and his status
In a wide-ranging talk with Vanity Fair, Bad Bunny, interviewed under his real name of Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, touched briefly and somewhat cryptically on what's happening with "El Muerto." The Spider-Man spinoff was a touchy subject, with the question about the status of "El Muetro" getting the following answer from the entertainer and his publicist, Sujeylee Solá. "When I ask him what happened, he hesitates," interviewer Michelle Ruiz states, describing the tension her question brought to the conversation. "An awkward silence ripples across the table. 'Next question,' asserts Solá, who's seated at an adjacent booth. 'I don't know what to say,' Martínez replies, calling the issue 'delicate.' Solá sharpens the point. 'Obviously, it's out," she says of the film.'
Considering the film has already been delayed with no release date in sight, it's not overly surprising that Bad Bunny won't be continuing with the project. He's an incredibly busy superstar, looking to build his film career and become an acclaimed actor in addition to ruling the music charts. "El Muerto" could have given him even more mainstream notoriety, but with its already questionable status, moving on from the film makes sense.
What is still unclear is whether Sony will make an "El Muerto" movie without him. The project always seemed like a vehicle to bring Bad Bunny into Sony's Marvel Universe, as choosing such an obscure character would more easily allow him to make it his. There are much more important and iconic characters deserving of solo films, so it wouldn't be shocking to see the project permanently shelved with Bad Bunny no longer being involved, especially since he was the entire draw of "El Muetro" to begin with.
What's next on Sony's Spider-Man Universe slate?
Sony's Spider-Man spinoff universe remains full speed ahead, despite Bad Bunny exiting "El Muerto." "Madame Web," starring Dakota Johnson and directed by S.J. Clarkson, a new "Venom" film starring Tom Hardy directed by Kelly Marcel, and a "Kraven the Hunter" solo film starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson and directed by J.C. Chandor all remain set for release in 2024 and are in various stages of production, though they have been delayed by the current writer's strike. One of Sony's current up-in-the-air movies is Donald Glover's Hypno-Hustler, based on another obscure Spider-Man villain. There hasn't been news about the film since its initial announcement, and with Glover appearing in "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," some fans question whether he will continue on the project or just play Prowler in live-action in the future.
If "El Muerto" never sees the light of day, there likely won't be many fans too upset — especially without Bad Bunny attached. Seeing the rapper in the role was the most exciting thing about the film, and with him no longer involved, there doesn't seem to be much of a point in bringing the character to the big screen. Time will tell what Sony's universe will look like two years from now, but unfortunately, it appears that Bad Bunny won't be part of it. Hopefully, he doesn't lose his desire to be a superhero and is booked somewhere else in the Marvel or DC Universe. The more Bad Bunny we get on the big screen, the better.