The first big Marvel story of 2024 was Steven Yeun exiting “Thunderbolts” due to scheduling conflicts. Yeun joined the cast of the MCU installment last February, and if the rumors are true, he would’ve played the movie’s villain, Sentry. Now it appears Kevin Feige & co. have found their replacement. Deadline reports that Lewis Pullman is the studio’s top choice to replace Yeun as “Thunderbolts” looks to head into production soon.
Joining “Thunderbolts” would be a coup for Pullman, whose star is on the rise thanks to the massive success of “Top Gun: Maverick” two years ago. Other recent work for Pullman include William Friedkin‘s swan song “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,” “The Starling Girl,” and TV series like Prime Video‘s “Outer Range” and Apple TV+‘s “Lessons In Chemistry.” Upcoming work for the actor includes the latest remake of Stephen King‘s early vampire novel “Salem’s Lot” and the crime thriller “Riff Raff,” which is filming now.
If Pullman joins the upcoming MCU film, he’ll be part of an ensemble cast that includes Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Harrison Ford, and more. “Thunderbolts” sees a motley crew of Captain America-adjacent heroes and antiheroes team up under the command of Ford’s Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross for a secret mission. Ford replaces the late William Hurt as Ross in the film, which is currently slated to hit theaters on July 25, 2025 after various strike-related delays.
“Thunderbolts” was supposed to start shooting last July, but the WGA and SAG-AFTRA guild strikes put the film on hiatus. It’s now part of the MCU’s Phase Six instead of a major feature in the franchise’s current Phase Five. Jake Schreier directs a script from “Black Widow” wirter Eric Pearson. Plot details remain a secret, but if Pullman gets cast, he’ll have Yeun’s rumored role as the movie’s big bad Sentry, a powerful hero with a dark and dangerous alter-ego.
But Pullman as Sentry is hardly set in stone, as Marvel Studios had no comment for Deadline after this story broke. Expect confirmation on this casting soon as “Thunderbolt” inches closer to shooting.