Marvel’s Thunderbolts Movie Finds His Replacement For Steven Yeun In Top Gun: Maverick’s Lewis Pullman
Marvel has reportedly found a replacement for Steven Yeun for the upcoming film Lightning strikes movie.
First revealed by industry insider Daniel RPK and picked up by The Hollywood Reporter (THR), Lewis Pullman has been tapped to play Sentry – aka Bob Reynolds – in the superhero film. Yeun was originally set to play the super-powered individual, but left the project in early January. Scheduling issues are believed to be the main cause of the problems Invincible the departure of the star.
In partnership with @rDCUleaks, I can report that Lewis Pullman has the current offering for Sentry in THUNDERBOLTS. pic.twitter.com/2RCYNRwCYLJanuary 25, 2024
With principal photography reportedly set to begin in March, Yeun’s withdrawal left Marvel looking for a replacement. Just weeks after Yeun’s departure seemingly engulfed Marvel in another casting crisis, the Disney subsidiary has found a worthy replacement in Pullman.
The 30-year-old may not be an immediately recognizable face to most, but the son of acclaimed actor Bill Pullman has delivered numerous stellar performances over the years. Most recently, he starred opposite fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) star Brie Larson in the highly rated Apple TV Plus series Lessons in chemistry – a standout role that earned him a Critics Choice Award nomination in 2024.
Pullman also appeared in a science fiction mystery thriller Out of range (alongside another MCU star in Josh Brolin) on Prime Video, Catch-22‘s latest adaptation on Hulu, and in the action spectacle starring over $1 billion-grossing Tom Cruise Top Gun: Maverick. An appearance in Marvel’s Lightning strikeshowever, would arguably be his biggest role yet, especially in light of rumors suggesting Sentry will be an integral part of his plot.
Praying that lightning doesn’t strike twice
Daniel RPK and THR haven’t unofficially confirmed Pullman’s hiring — it’s only assumed he’s been offered the role — so it’s unclear if he’ll be the latest star to join Marvel’s cinematic juggernaut.
However, the comic giant hopes that lightning does not strike the same place twice. It would be a huge headache if Pullman signed up to appear, only to leave like Yeun did — or worse, turn down the role just weeks before filming began. Lightning strikes is apparently about to begin. The Marvel Phase 5 project was first announced in July 2022, but has yet to go into full production due to the 2023 strikes by Hollywood actors and writers. Last year’s industrial action saw principal photography (and, by proxy , its release date) was postponed several times.
However, Thunderbolts is far from the only MCU project facing problems. Fellow Phase 5 film Sheet has spent the last few years in production hell, Captain America 4 And Iron heart have been postponed due to new recordings, and Daredevil: Born Again has been overhauled after Marvel decided to rework the entire Disney Plus show following reports that it didn’t live up to expectations.
Add to that the firing of Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror after he was found guilty of multiple domestic violence charges, two major box office bombs in 2023, and reports of overworked visual effects artists, and Marvel’s reputation has received a big blow. the past 12 months. Now that the strikes, production delays and casting issues appear to be behind them, the studio will be praying for a much quieter 2024 – and securing Pullman’s services would be a good start.