Marvel’s El Muerto: Everything we know so far

Lucy-Jo Finnighan
el muerto

Yet another Sony Spider-Man spin-off is on its way, this time being El Muerto. Here’s everything we know so far.

Sony is doing good with the Spider-Man franchise as of late. The Spider-Verse movies are considered by many to be the best Spider-Man media of all time, and while the reviews for films such as Venom and Morbius may vary, we can at least enjoy them as camp fun.

And now a new villainous spin-off is on its way. No, we’re not talking about Kraven the Hunter, but El Muerto.

But what is this villain’s story, and what’s happening behind the scenes with the project? We’ll explain all we know, so read on…

Is El Muerto happening?

While the movie has been in development since at least April 2022, its fate now hangs up in the air with a new Sony announcement.

On June 23, 2023, Sony Pictures removed El Muerto from its release calendar. While many fans thought this could be because Sony was rescheduling the movie around Bad Bunny’s tour schedule, those hopes were dashed.

In an interview with Vanity Fair on September 12, star Bad Bunny cast further doubt on the future of the movie.

“I don’t know what to say,” [Bad Bunny] replies, calling the issue “delicate.”

His publicist then clarified what the artist meant, saying “[o]bviously, it’s out.”

We will update this section when we learn more.

El Muerto release date: Is there a release date?

As of writing, there is no release date for El Muerto. There is a date for the beginning of filming, however, which is August 7.

Because filming has yet to begin, we likely can’t expect El Muerto to drop in cinemas until at least 2024.

An original release date given by Sony at CinemaCon 2022 was January 12 2024, though that now seems very unlikely. Filming was set to begin earlier, but was pushed back due to the WGA strikes, which could continue to impact any potential release date.

Plus, Madame Webb, another Spider-Man spin-off, is set to release in February 2024, which would make for an odd release schedule should El Muerto come out a month prior.  

El Muerto cast: Who will star in the Marvel movie?

Right now not much is officially known about the film’s cast, except that Bad Bunny was intially going to be starring in the titular role. He has since dropped out of the project and will be recast.

Bad Bunny’s exit is a shame, as he is seemingly this decades’ rising star, as he has headlined Coachella, won multiple Grammys and is now making his name in other areas. Right now his main claim to acting fame is his short lived role (literally) as the Wolf in last year’s action film Bullet Train, in which he has a fast-paced fight with Brad Pitt’s character.

Currently, other stars are being considered for unnamed roles, though nothing is confirmed yet. This includes Sasha Banks, a former WWE diva, who portrays Koska Reeves in The Mandalorian Seasons 2 and 3. There is also Marvin Jones III being eyed for the role of Tombstone, as he voiced the character in Into the Spider-Verse.

As for behind the camera, the film will be directed by Jonás Cuarón, son of Alfonso Cuarón, director of Chupa, and co-writer of 2013’s Gravity. Though for this movie, Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, the writer of DC’s upcoming Blue Beetle, is penning the script.

El Muerto plot: What will happen in the movie?

Not much is known about the plot of El Muerto, expect that it will follow the titular character in his superpowered wrestling escapades.

El Muerto, who is also known as Juan-Carlos Estrada Sanchez in the comics, is part of a long line of luchadors who possess a special mask that grants them superhuman strength and other great powers. He’s faced many wrestling opponents, one of which includes Spider-Man, but he has also teamed up with the web slinger on other occasions.

That’s all we know so far about El Muerto. We will update this article when we find out more.

For now, check out our other TV & movies hubs below:

Constantine 2 | Deadpool 3 | Fantastic Four | Avengers: The Kang Dynasty | Avengers: Secret Wars | Marvel Zombies | The Marvels | Agatha: Coven of Chaos | Venom 3 | Daredevil: Born Again | Blade MCU | Captain America 4 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | Nobody 2

About The Author

Lucy-Jo is a Movies and TV Writer at Dexerto, and has previously written for Screen Rant and Girls on Tops. After earning a Master's Degree in Film and Literature, Lucy-Jo now loves covering films, TV shows, and anime, especially if it's something by Mike Flanagan, or anything drenched in camp. You can contact her at lucyjo.finnighan@dexerto.com