Nope and Minari actor Steven Yeun will no longer be starring in Marvel Studios’ villain-centric Thunderbolts film, reportedly because of scheduling conflicts due to production being pushed by last year’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Yeun was expected to star opposite Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Sebastian Stan and Wyatt Russell (all of whom have previously appeared in the MCU), who had been announced as the main ensemble at D23. It was never confirmed who Yeun was expected to play.
Jake Schreier is still attached as director, with Black Widow writer Eric Pearson penning the screenplay. In Thunderbolts, a group of supervillains (presumably including the White Widow, the Red Guardian, Winter Soldier, and U.S. Agent) are recruited by Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolts’ Ross to go on missions for the government. Harrison Ford takes over the role of General Ross from the late actor William Hurt.
The MCU film is now due to go into production this year and to release in July 2025. Meanwhile, Steven Yeun will next be seen in the sci-fi romance Love Me opposite Kristen Stewart, which will premiere later this month in Park City’s Sundance Film Festival. Stewart previously described the Sam and Andy Zuchero-directed film as “a love story between a satellite and a buoy; it’s hard to explain. I hope I don’t botch it, because it’s a really revolutionarily written script.”