It’s still too early to tell, but Thunderbolts* may well be the poster child for Bob Iger‘s successful return to Disney when it’s all said and done. Though it hadn’t quite fallen from grace, Marvel Studios was on thin ice following a string of projects like The Marvels that either weren’t doing big business at the box office or projects that were simply subpar efforts like Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and Secret Invasion.
It seemed that in the studio’s rush to flood the market with Marvel content, quality was taking a back seat and that was something Iger wasn’t willing to allow to continue. Among the projects targeted by Iger was Thunderbolts* which underwent a series of script rewrites that reportedly reworked the film into something quite worthwhile despite its inauspicious start as a sequel to Black Widow. Of course, the success of any film is partially dependent on the work of its cast and Thunderbolts* has a collection of stars at its center with Florence Pugh, Wyatt Russell, Sebastian Stan and David Harbour leading the way. And now comes word that an actor from one of HBO’s most beloved series also has a role in the film.
According to an official project profile for Thunderbolts*, True Blood star Chris Bauer landed a role in the 2025 film.
Bauer, who played Bon Temps Sheriff Andy Bellefleur for 81 episodes over True Blood‘s seven seasons, has been a staple of serial television for 25 years with major roles in The Wire, Third Watch, The Deuce, and recently as Wild Bill Hancock in Starz’s Heels, created by Marvel Studios’ writer Michael Waldron. It’s unknown what the nature of Bauer’s role in Thunderbolts* is and he joins Jack Ryan star Wendell Pierce as a surprise addition to the cast.
Thunderbolts* will be in theaters on May 2, 2025.
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