The former 'The Walking Dead' star was reported to be joining the cast of the upcoming superhero movie back in February 2023, with Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan and David Harbour reprising their roles from previous films.
- Jan 3, 2024
AceShowbiz - Marvel Studios' "Thunderbolts" has just lost one of its stars. Steven Yeun has dropped out of the upcoming MCU: Phase Six movie after production was pushed due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
According to Deadline, the Glenn Rhee depicter on AMC's "The Walking Dead" walked out of the superhero pic due to scheduling conflicts. The project was initially slated to begin filming in 2023, but due to the dual strikes, production has been pushed back to March or April 2024 for a planned July 25, 2025 release.
Yeun's involvement in "Thunderbolts" was reported in back in February, though Marvel never officially announced the casting. He's rumored to take the role of The Sentry, the alter ego of Robert Reynolds. There's no word on whether the role is being rethought or will be recast.
Back in June 2023, the 40-year-old actor talked to The Hollywood Reporter about how his casting in the Marvel superhero movie came about. "It kind of came together in a weird way. Jake Schreier, who did episodes of 'Beef', he got the gig to direct it. He kind of saw me for this role. I read the role and I was like, 'This is actually a really interesting role. I'd be down to explore this,' " he said.
"I think it's less about now checking things off a bucket list and more looking at an experience," the "Minari" star added of taking the chance. "It's more like 'Do I want to experience that?' Putting it out is a whole other thing that I'm gonna have to prepare for afterwards, but in the immediate, I'm just down to just experience that experience."
Schreier is attached to direct "Thunderbolts" with the confirmed cast including Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster and Wyatt Russell as John Walker. Additionally, Harrison Ford is set to reprise his role as Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross from "Captain America: Brave New World" (2025).
