Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, better known by his stage name, Bad Bunny, has been on quite a tear the past few years. He’s won multiple Grammys, headlined Coachella, made his feature film acting debut in the action-comedy, Bullet Train, and even become one of the best things about current-day WWE. Soon, the Puerto Rican superstar will add another notch to his list of accomplishments: Marvel superhero.
That’s right, Bad Bunny is going to be leading a superhero movie of his own, specifically El Muerto, which will fall into what is called Sony’s Spider-Man Universe of Characters. If this is the first you’re hearing about the project that seems like the perfect movie for the musician considering his resume as of late, don’t worry, because we have all the details. Here’s everything we know about El Muerto at this time…
What Is The El Muerto Release Date?
During CinemaCon 2022, Sony Pictures announced that a movie based on El Muerto is in the works just before giving the project a release date of January 12, 2024. The latest addition to the ever-growing list of titles for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe of Characters seemingly hit the ground running, with the reveal that Bad Bunny would be bringing the character to life on the big screen, but that momentum wouldn’t really stick around.
When speaking with Time in March 2023, a little less than a year after the movie was first announced, the star revealed that production on the movie had yet to start, putting the January 2024 release date in jeopardy. During the same chat, his publicist said the movie was “at a standstill” before clarifying that it was “in development.”
This isn’t the only Sony Marvel movie to have confusion surrounding its release date, as there have been clues that the upcoming Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse might be delayed from its March 2024 debut. But, since Sony hasn’t come out and said El Muerto won’t make the early 2024 release, we’ll stick with the January 12th date for now.
Bad Bunny Will Anchor The El Muerto Cast
As of the time of this writing, Bad Bunny, who will become the first Latino actor to headline a live-action Marvel movie, is the only confirmed member of the El Muerto cast. During the CinemaCon 2022 reveal, Variety quoted the rapper-turned-wrestler-turned-actor as saying that “to bring El Muerto to life is just incredible” when talking about the idea of playing a character on the verge of inheriting his father’s powers.
Expect to hear more about the El Muerto cast in the coming weeks and months. In time, we should find out which new characters, as well as familiar faces (both good and bad), will be appearing alongside the luchador antihero when the movie debuts next year.
About The Marvel Comics Character
Though he may not be as well known as some of the more popular and established Marvel characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Captain America, El Muerto, who is also known as Juan-Carlos Estrada Sanchez in the comics, is what you could consider a badass with quite the origin story.
According to Marvel.com, El Muerto is essentially the Black Panther of the world of Lucha Libre, in that he’s part of a long line of luchadors who possess a special mask that grants them superhuman strength and other great powers. Over the years, El Muerto has wrestled Spider-Man (a character with roots in wrestling) in the ring while teaming up with the Web-Slinger outside of the “squared circle.” So, essentially he’s the Marvel Comics version of the legendary luchador, El Santo.
El Muerto Will Be Directed By Jonás Cuarón
Sitting in the director’s chair for El Muerto will be Jonás Cuarón, the son of Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón, who co-wrote his father’s 2013 space thriller Gravity. At the time that it was announced that he was helming the project, The Hollywood Reporter also noted that Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, the writer of DC’s Blue Beetle movie, would be penning the script.
Throughout his career, Cuarón has directed movies like Año uña, Desierto, and the 2023 Netflix movie Chupa, as well as a pair of short films.
Like His El Muerto Character, Bad Bunny Has A Love Of Professional Wrestling
The decision by Sony to cast Bad Bunny as a luchador-turned-superhero is honestly one of the best decisions the company has made with its Marvel movies in recent years. The self-proclaimed wrestling fan, who made his in-ring debut at WrestleMania 37 back in April 2021, is one of the hottest things in any industry he touches right now, and this could pay off handsomely for all involved parties.
When the Puerto Rican superstar was announced to be taking on the role at CinemaCon 2022, he told Sony Pictures President Sanford Panitch (via Deadline) that he was excited for the opportunity:
It’s amazing, it’s incredible. I love wrestling. I grew up watching wrestling and I’m a wrestler. I’m a former champion so this is why I love this character. I think it’s the perfect role to me and it will be epic.
If Bad Bunny gives El Muerto even a small percentage of the effort he’s shown in WWE so far, this movie could very well be the start of something amazing.
El Muerto Isn’t The Only Sony Marvel Movie In The Works
El Muerto is just one of numerous Sony Spider-Man Universe movies that are slated to either land in theaters within the next year or come out at some point in the near future. We don’t yet know if these movies are going to lead to an Avengers-like crossover event down the road, there’s a lot coming out that should have comic book fans very excited.
First, there’s J.C. Chandor’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter, which is set to come out on October 6th. This will see Aaron Taylor-Johnson join the list of actors who have played two different Marvel characters when he takes on the role of Sergei Kravinoff, a.k.a., Kraven the Hunter.
On February 16, 2024, the world will finally get to see Madame Web, S.J. Clarkson’s superhero movie starring Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a woman whose psychic abilities allow her to see within the “spider world.” Sydney Sweeney is also slated to show up in the movie as Julia Carpenter, a.k.a., Spider-Woman.
The aforementioned Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is slated to open on March 29, 2024, picking up from that big cliffhanger in the Across the Spider-Verse ending. And then there’s Venom 3, which doesn’t have a release date just yet.
There’s still a lot we don’t yet know about El Muerto, including the rest of its cast, the story it will tell, and if it will end up being pushed back on the 2024 movie schedule. In the meantime, take a look at our rundown of the 2023 movie calendar, which includes a lot of the upcoming marvel movies.
