El Muerto could very well make it onto the big screen after all. On Tuesday, a report from Variety dove into the plans of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe of movies, including the forthcoming Madame Web, Kraven the Hunter, and Venom 3. The report reveals that the El Muerto movie is back in development, despite confirmation in September of 2023 that star Bad Bunny had dropped out of the film altogether. According to the report, Bad Bunny’s exit was due to “his conflicting tour”, and the film’s script has been revised, even if a star isn’t currently attached.
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Shortly after El Muerto was announced in early 2022, pieces surrounding the film began to fall into place — Chupa‘s Jonas Cuaron was brought on to direct, with Blue Beetle‘s Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer attached to write the film’s script. An early January 2024 release date, which has already come and gone, was subsequently set. Unfortunately, the updates surrounding El Muerto began to dry up around April of 2023, making the news that it is back in development especially intriguing for fans.
What Is the El Muerto Movie About?
Created by Peter David and Roger Cruz, El Muerto first debuted in 2006’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #6. Also known as Juan-Carlos Sanchez, El Muerto is a super-powered wrestler who fought Spider-Man in a charity wrestling match, where he nearly unmasked Spider-Man before being stung with a paralyzing poison. The two later teamed up to take down El Muerto’s nemesis, Dorado. It might be an understatement to say that El Muerto is a relatively obscure part of Marvel Comics history, with only two comic appearances to his name — but initially, Sony was excited about the possibility of the film being a vehicle for Bad Bunny.
“Sometimes we get lucky with perfect casting,” Sony Motion Picture Group president Sanford Panitch said when the film was first announced. “We think audiences are going to be excited by where these Marvel characters are headed.”
What Is Madame Web About?
In Madame Web, Cassandra “Cassie” Webb (Dakota Johnson) is forced to confront her past while trying to survive with three young women with powerful futures who are being hunted by a deadly adversary. Madame Web will star Dakota Johnson as Cassandra “Cassie” Webb / Madame Web, Sydney Sweeney as Julia Carpenter / Spider-Woman, Isabela Merced as Anya Corazon / Spider-Woman, and Celeste O’Connor as Mattie Franklin / Spider-Woman. The film will also star Tahar Rahim as Ezekiel Sims, with Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, Adam Scott, and Zosia Mamet cast in currently-unknown roles.
“It’s really the story of Madame Web,” producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura previously told ComicBook.com. “So, in that respect, if you’re a Spider-Man fan, you’re gonna love the character because you know it from the comic books, which she doesn’t really have that big a character in the comic books, we’re doing the origin story of Madame Web. And so you meet her before she’s actually the person that you know in the comic book and you come to understand how she becomes that person. So, I think that’ll be a really fresh new terrain for the fans.”
What do you think of the latest update surrounding Sony’s El Muerto movie? Do you hope the project becomes a reality? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
