While Marvel Studios will only have one film in theaters and two live-action series on Disney Plus in 2024, it may end up being one of the studio’s busiest ever on the production side. Production is scheduled to restart on a pair of recently retooled streaming series, Wonder Man (indeed, cameras are already rolling again on this one!) and Daredevil: Born Again, in early 2024. Principal photography is also scheduled for at least four films with Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four and Blade all on the docket. Throw in the potential for cameras to roll on Avengers 5, which is being written by Loki Season 1 and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness scribe Michael Waldron, at some point late in the year and it becomes clear Kevin Feige and crew are going to be busy. However, there’s some important business left to attend to for each of those projects before production can get underway. In the case of Thunderbolts, which is expected to start filming in just a few months, there’s a super-sized hole in the ensemble cast.
After months of being one the MCU’s most poorly kept casting secrets ever, The Walking Dead and Invincible star Steven Yeun vacated the role of Sentry in Thunderbolts, leaving Marvel Studios scrambling to find a replacement. With production so close to kicking off, Yeun had already done costume fittings for the character, whose backstory in the film had been altered from the comics to uniquely fit Yeun. Now as the studio reworks the script around Yeun’s departure, another Walking Dead alum has emerged as a favorite for the role of Robert Reynolds, aka Sentry.
According to insider Daniel RPK, Austin Abrams–who portrayed Ron Anderson in 9 episodes over parts of Seasons 5 and 6 of The Walking Dead–has been offered the role of Sentry in Thunderbolts.
Abrams‘ work as Ethan Lewis on HBO’s Euphoria has drawn significant praise and the young actor has already shown an impressive range in his relatively short career. Should he indeed land the role of junkie-turned-Super Soldier Bob Reynolds, it’ll provide another opportunity to showcase his talents and land a potentially major recurring role.
