The Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s Multiverse Saga has seen the franchise come in for criticism the likes of which has never been experienced before, opening the door ever so slightly for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe to swoop in and steal some of the good buzz for a change.
It was telling that the merest hint of Tom Hardy’s Venom 3 generated a great deal more excitement than anything relating to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but the outpouring of negativity and backlash being pointed in the direction of Kevin Feige’s ongoing superhero series has led many to predict that the end is nigh for not just the MCU, but the entire superhero genre.
That’s more than likely not going to be the case, but the impending sense of doom surrounding any and all things relating to Marvel Comics adaptations has increased tenfold after word began spreading that Bad Bunny’s El Muerto – easily the most anticipated spandex-clad caper since Avengers: Endgame – could be facing a lengthy delay.
Jonás “Son of Alfonso” Cuarón will direct from a screenplay penned by Blue Beetle scribe Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, with Sony announcing in April of last year that El Muerto would be coming to theaters on Jan. 12, 2024. Obviously, that’s almost exactly nine months away and we haven’t heard a word regarding the start of shooting, making time the number one enemy of the masked title hero.
X-Men: First Class proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that you can knock out a top-tier comic book blockbuster in that period, but it would also be safe to say the prospect of Sony rushing El Muerto through production as fast as possible would be a terrible method of trying to instill confidence in a fandom skeptical of everything the studio touches.