Marvel fans raised an eyebrow earlier this year when Sony announced plans to develop an El Muerto movie headlined by rapper/actor Bad Bunny. The character of El Muerto has only appeared in a scant number of comic book issues since his introduction in 2006, which makes him a highly unconventional choice to star in his own film (even by Sony’s standards). Regardless, the studio just hired a director for the project. According to The Wrap, Jonás Cuarón has signed on to bring the next lesser-known Spider-Man adversary to life on the big screen.
Cuarón comes from filmmaking royalty—he’s the son of four-time Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón. In 2013, he worked with his father on the screenplay for Gravity. Prior to this, Jonás made his feature directing debut in 2007 with Año uña (Year of the Nail). Some of his other films include Desierto, Z, and the upcoming Netflix release Chupa.
Additionally, Sony has drafted Blue Beetle screenwriter Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer to pen El Muerto’s script. Much like how Blue Beetle will mark DC’s first Latino superhero movie when it opens next summer (with Xolo Maridueña starring as Jaime Reyes), El Muerto will be the first Marvel movie to feature a Latino actor in the lead role. Dunnet-Alcocer has claimed on several occasions that Blue Beetle celebrates Jaime’s Mexican-American heritage. So presumably, his El Muerto screenplay will do the same for the title character’s alter-ego, Juan-Carlos Sánchez.
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In the comics, Juan-Carlos inherited the mantle of El Muerto from his father, who died trying to save his son from a supernatural luchador named El Dorado. Donning his own mystical luchador’s mask that gave him enhanced strength and endurance, Juan-Carlos was forced to defeat and unmask another masked hero to avoid facing El Dorado again. With this, he asked J. Jonah Jameson to set up a wrestling match with Spider-Man. However, it’s a safe bet that the friendly neighborhood webslinger won’t be appearing in Sony’s film adaptation.
El Muerto will hit theaters on January 12, 2024.
Does Cuarón’s involvement make you more or less interested in seeing the film? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
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