Steve Yeun will no longer play Sentry in the upcoming Marvel's Thunderbolts

According to The Hollywood Reporter, actor Steven Yeun has reportedly dropped out of Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts. Although his role was never officially confirmed, it was well-known that the actor was set to play Sentry in the film. It seems like that won't be the case anymore, as reports about Yeun reportedly leaving the film have surfaced online.

Thunderbolts was poised to be Marvel's next big team-up film, with the anti-hero group set to take on Sentry in the title, according to leaks. With Yeun's reported departure, Sentry's role is now up for grabs. This certainly comes as a huge blow to the movie, which was scheduled to begin filming in March or April 2024.

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Steven Yeun leaves Thunderbolts due to "scheduling conflicts"

Interestingly, Steven Yeun's casting was never once officially confirmed by Marvel Studios. His involvement in the film, however, was a known fact by many as reports started to emerge that he would be the antagonist of Thunderbolts. It was later learned that Yeun was poised to play Sentry in the upcoming film, with reports stating that he had already done a costume test.

The story was broken by Variety, but no solid reason was provided for Yeun's departure. Shortly thereafter, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that he left due to "scheduling conflicts." Losing an actor so close to the start of production will most likely set the project back, which might be difficult for Marvel Studios as Thunderbolts was already delayed due to the writers' and actors' strike last year.

For those unaware, Sentry is known as "Marvel's Superman" among the fandom as he possesses a great deal of power. Sometimes a hero and sometimes a villain, he is a complicated character with a dark side.

Thunderbolts would have been the actor's live-action debut. However, this wouldn't have been Yeun's first foray into playing a superhero. He voiced Invincible in Amazon's hit animated series, Invincible, created by Robert Kirkman. The very first time fans even got confirmation of the fact that Yeun would be taking on the role of Sentry was from Kirkman himself, who let it slip during his appearance on David Finch's show when he stated that the actor had called him up about a costume fitting. Here is what Kirkman had to say:

"[Steven] called me, he went in for a costume fitting. I don’t think this is a spoiler, or anything that will get anybody in trouble. I don’t know, maybe, we’ll see. He told me, ‘Uh, I just came back from a costume fitting for the Sentry. I guess I only do superheroes that are yellow and blue.' He was at the costume fitting and was like ‘Aw crap, I forgot Invincible was yellow and blue!"

As for now, the cast for the upcoming film includes Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Wyatt Russell as John Walker, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr, Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and Harrison Ford as Thadeus Ross. Ayo Edebiri will star in the film as well, but her role is unknown as of now.

Directed by Jake Schreier, Thunderbolts is set to officially release in theaters on July 25, 2025.