The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for constantly growing, thanks to both movies and streaming content available with a Disney+ subscription. One of the most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movies is Thunderbolts, which will be a crossover event uniting various antagonists and antiheroes from the shared universe. The cast list for Thunderbolts is sick, but one major talent was recently lost: Steven Yeun. And the Walking Dead alum has broken his silence about dropping out of the Marvel blockbuster.
What we know about Thunderbolts is limited, but the hype has been building thanks to various well-known actors who will be occupying the big screen. Fans were bummed when it was revealed that Steven Yeun dropped out of the movie, especially following acclaimed performances in projects like Nope and Beef. Yeun recently spoke to Variety about this decision, saying:
I think for me, time passing and things shifting kind of pulled me out of it. But Jake [Schreier], I know, is going to do an incredible job. I wanna do a Marvel movie.
There you have it. While Yeun was excited to get in on the fun of Thunderbolts, it sounds like scheduling changes ultimately altered his plans. But since he still wants to get involved in the shared universe, maybe we'll see him in a different role sometime in the future.
As disappointing as it is that Yeun won't be in the MCU movie anymore, it's definitely understanding that things have changed scheduling-wise. The SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes resulted in Thunderbolts being delayed, and the new filming plan seemingly didn't work for what Yeun had planned for the year. Womp womp.
Joining the MCU is a dream gig for many actors out there, so it's definitely understandable that Steven Yeun is bummed about departing Thunderbolts before filming began. Later in that same interview with Variety, the 40 year-old actor spoke about the way he tried to leave the door open for another Marvel gig, as he put it:
It took a lot of drafts on email to make sure that I conveyed the sincerity of how sorry I was to have to back out.
Prior to him departing the project, Steven Yeun's rumored role started circulating around online, indicating he might have been playing Sentry in the MCU blockbuster. It looks like another actor will have to take on the mantle of that character, much to the actor's disappointment. But perhaps that e-mail was well-written and he'll be able to join the shared universe sometime in the future.
Thunderbolts is currently expected to arrive in theaters on July 25th, 2025. In the meantime, check out the 2024 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. The next MCU movie hitting theaters is Deadpool 3 on July 26th.
