Steven Yeun broke up with Marvel via email.
Amid news of his departure from the upcoming superhero film “Thunderbolts,” Yeun told Variety that he had spent a lot of time trying to write the breakup message for the production. He had been cast as Sentry, a high-flying antihero who possesses the power of “a million exploding suns” as well as a dark alter ego.
“It took a lot of drafts on the email to make sure I conveyed the sincerity of how sorry I was to have to back out,” Yeun said.
“Thunderbolts” was originally scheduled to premiere in July 2024, but was delayed to 2025 after the historic SAG-AFTRA and WGA double strike halted production in May. Filming is expected to begin in March or April, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The “Beef” and “Nope” actor cited time off during the Hollywood strikes as one of the reasons for his departure, saying, “The passage of time and the changes of things got me out of there.” But he sent well wishes to Jake Schreier, who directs the film.
In February, several media outlets reported on Yeun’s casting for the Marvel Studios project. Then in November, showrunner Robert Kirkman, who collaborated with Yeun on “The Walking Dead” and Prime’s animated superhero series “Invincible,” all but confirmed the casting, commenting during an interview: “My good friend Steven Yeun will play the Sentinel in a movie.”
Kirkman added that the actor called him after a costume test for the film and joked about playing another superhero dressed in yellow and blue (his “Invincible” character wears a similarly colored suit). Yeun and Marvel, however, had never confirmed the role.
The studio previously announced that the cast of “Thunderbolts” would include Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Wyatt Russell and Harrison Ford. “Beef” and “Bottoms” star Ayo Edebiri has also been attached to the film. Lee Sung Jin, creator of the acclaimed Netflix drama “Beef,” starring Yeun, is writing the script.
On Tuesday, rumors began circulating among fans. in X and Reddit that Yeun had abandoned the project. Hours later, the Hollywood Reporter confirmed his departure.
In his interview with Variety, Yeun said that he still intends to be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“I want to make a Marvel movie,” he said. But he added that “it’s too early to say” which project he would like to be a part of.
“I probably pissed off a lot of people who left, so I’m just going to say, ‘Thanks for having me,’” he said.
Marvel is dealing with a separate casting void after cutting ties with Jonathan Majors, who played supervillain Kang. The studio cut ties with the actor immediately after Majors was convicted of assaulting and harassing his ex-girlfriend. His latest film, “The Marvels,” premiered in November to mediocre showings, ending the year as the lowest-grossing film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The superhero project that Yeun is already a part of, “Invincible,” began streaming its second season on Prime in November. He also stars in Oscar winner Bong Joon Ho’s upcoming sci-fi film, “Mickey 17.”
Yeun is up for an Emmy nomination for “Beef” in the limited series or anthology category. He was star and executive producer of the show.
Times reporter Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this report.
