Following Steven Yeun's exit, The Bear's Ayo Edebiri is the latest star to leave Marvel's Thunderbolts - but a replacement is already lined up

ayo edebiri
(Image credit: Getty)

Ayo Edebiri is the latest star to pull out of Thunderbolts, but Geraldine Viswanathan is set to take her place.

Per Variety, Edebiri was forced to pull out due to scheduling conflicts. Viswanathan shared the Variety article to her Instagram story, writing, "Thank you to my friend @AyoEdebiri for being too booked." The role has not yet been revealed.

The film is set to star Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Harrison Ford as Thaddeus Ross, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Countess Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

Steven Yeun, who was set to star in Thunderbolts as the Sentry, also pulled out due to scheduling conflicts just last month. The actor said that he still wants to make a Marvel movie, and made sure to convey his absolute sincerity when turning them down via email. Nestled in the Deadline report on Edebiri's news was the confirmation that Top Gun: Maverick star Lewis Pullman would replace Yeun in the role.

In 2023, Viswanathan starred opposite Nicholas Braun in the psychological thriller Cat Person and alongside Zach Galifianakis, Elizabeth Banks, and Sarah Snook in the comedy-drama The Beanie Bubble. She can be seen next starring in Ethan Coen's Drive-Away Dolls, and has just wrapped filming on Nicholas Stoller's You're Cordially Invited.

Thunderbolts currently has a release date of July 25, 2025, as part of Marvel Phase 6. While we wait for the movie to arrive on our screens, make sure you're up to date with the MCU with our guide to the rest of the upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows on the way this year and beyond.

Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.