Marvel’s Thunderbolts: The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri Exits, Mystery Role Recast

Another major casting change has hit Marvel’s upcoming Thunderbolts movie. On Monday, reports revealed that, due to scheduling conflicts, Emmy-winning The Bear star Ayo Edebiri is no longer involved with Thunderbolts, which she was cast in in a mystery role. Geraldine Viswanathan, who is known for appearances in Blockers and Miracle Workers, is reportedly now set to replace Edebiri in the Thunderbolts role.

This is the second casting change to be made due to Thunderbolts‘ production schedule, which was delayed last year amid the writers’ and actors’ strikes in Hollywood. Steven Yeun, who was previously lined up to portray Robert Reynolds / Sentry in Thunderbolts, was confirmed to be exiting the project earlier this month, with Top Gun: Maverick‘s Lewis Pullman now lined up to replace him.

Why Did Steven Yeun Leave Thunderbolts?

In a recent interview with Variety, Yeun confirmed that his Thunderbolts exit was due to scheduling conflicts and delays amid last year’s Hollywood strikes, and revealed that “it took a lot of drafts on email to make sure that I conveyed sincerity of how sorry I was to have to back out.”

“I think for me, time passing and things shifting kind of pulled me out of it,” Yeun explained. “But [director] Jake [Schreier], I know, is going to do an incredible job.”

What Is Marvel’s Thunderbolts About?

Thunderbolts is expected to be based on the Marvel Comics team of the same name, an alliance of antiheroes and villains who reluctantly work for the government. The cast of Thunderbolts includes Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Wyatt Russell as John Walker / U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr / Ghost, Olgya Kurylenko as Taskmaster, and Harrison Ford as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross.

“I just made a joke about [how] it’s like Dungeons and Dragons, where you meet in a tavern and it’s like there’s a dwarf drinking a beer and then there’s like an elvish figure over there, we all come together and then there’s this ghost… it’s not gonna happen like that, I don’t think,” Harbour told ComicBook.com in a 2022 interview. “But I think that’s one of the mysteries of the movie is what is their relationship, and as you say, there is a lot of exciting things as you wrap up the next phase in terms of sort of what their part of the whole universe is in this random, chaotic way. So, you know, we can’t say too much at this point, but they’re an exciting introduction of this team together again, that’s going to be a lot of fun.”

What do you think of Ayo Edebiri leaving Marvel’s Thunderbolts? Are you excited to see Geraldine Viswanthan join the cast? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Thunderbolts is set to be released exclusively in theaters on July 25, 2025.