Mercedes Varnado (FKA Sasha Banks) Reportedly Considered for 'El Muerto' Spider-Man Spin-Off Role
Mercedes Varnado, better known in the pro wrestling world as Sasha Banks and Mercedes Mone, was reportedly considered for a role in Sony's Spider-Man spin-off El Muerto according to The Hollywood Reporter. News broke on Wednesday that Sony had removed the film from its release schedule, as it was originally slated for Jan. 12, 2023, due to the ongoing writers' strike. Grammy-winner Bad Bunny (who also dabbles in the world of WWE) was attached to star as the titular character while Jonás Cuarón would direct. It's unknown what Varnado's role would have been or if she'll be able to sign on if and when production begins.
Varnado officially left WWE at the start of the year and has since wrestled for New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Stardom. She had her first breakout acting role in the Star Wars Disney+ series The Mandalorian, playing Koska Reeves in five episodes across the second and third seasons.
Mercedes Mone on Her WWE Departure
While plenty has been written about Varnado's WWE departure, she herself has declined to give any comment about her decision to leave the company. She went so far as to claim, albeit in character, that she'll never tell the real story.
"You don't know the story. You're reading whatever you want to read and believing whatever you want to believe. Nobody knows the story because I haven't said anything, and I'm not going to say anything because that's just the classy boss that I am, and CEO," she said at Planet Comic Con earlier this year.
She also discussed some wrestlers choosing to go back to WWE after either leaving or being released — "One thing, it's up to them. It's up to Dakota (Kai) and everyone else that wants to come back. That's great for them and awesome. That's their dream, but I went after mine, which is going to Japan. You have to follow your heart and follow your soul and follow your dreams. This was always, always, always a dream of mine that I never got to accomplish. As I am growing in my career, I had been in WWE for almost ten years, I had to have a change and I had to feel something different in my heart and my soul. I had to go after a whole new dream, a whole new chapter, and a whole new destiny for me. This is where I want to be and what I want to make happen for me. That's it. This is what I'm going for and this is my dream."