Jonás Cuarón Will Direct Bad Bunny in Sony’s Marvel Film “El Muerto”
Sony Pictures is putting together quite a collaboration. The studio has tapped Jonás Cuarón to direct their upcoming Marvel Studios film El Muerto, starring Bad Bunny (aka Benito A Martínez Ocasio), Deadline reports. Bad Bunny is coming off his first big movie role in Sony’s Bullet Train, co-starring with a little-known actor named [checking notes] Brad Pitt.
Cuarón, the director of the 2015 thriller Desierto, is the son of Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón and knows a thing or two about filmmaking. He’ll be working off a script by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer. El Muerto is in the early stages of development, so much can still change, but with a writer, director, and star in place, things are moving in the right direction.
This is another joint project between Sony and Marvel, with the character of El Muerto hailing from the Spider-Man universe. El Muerto will be a big deal when it bows, marking the first time a Marvel film has been led by a Latino actor.
So who exactly is El Muerto? Well, like his other pals in the Spider-Man universe, Venom and Morbius, he’s an antihero. In the comics, El Muerto’s name is Juan-Carlos Estrada Sanchez, a wrestler whose powers are sourced from his mask. That mask is a part of his ancestral heritage, passed down through the generations, endowing its wearer with superhuman strength. For the film, Sony has intimated Bad Bunny’s character will be on the cusp of inheriting the El Muerto mask from his father.
Bad Bunny’s recent role in Bullet Train hasn’t been his only screen time. The Grammy-winning musician has also appeared in Netflix’s Narcos: Mexico. Yet El Muerto will be, by far, his biggest role yet, and could be launching him into the ever-expanding world of Marvel.
El Muerto is slated for a January 12, 2024 release.
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Featured image: Brad Pitt and Bad Bunny star in Bullet Train. Courtesy Sony Pictures.
