Seth Rollins filmed scenes for Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World, set for release this month. However, his role was ultimately cut from the final version of the film.
The movie stars Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Carl Lumbly, Tim Blake Nelson, Shira Haas, Harrison Ford, and Liv Tyler. Written by Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson and directed by Julius Onah, the film initially included Rollins, who was spotted on set in 2023.
Speaking with ComicBook’s Chris Killian, Onah explained why Rollins’ scenes were removed.
“When you’re taking characters like Serpent Society from publishing—who, as you know, are individuals dressed up as snakes and have snake-adjacent powers—you’re always iterating and trying to figure out the version that works best in a movie like this,” Onah said. “I love Seth—Seth’s incredible. But as we were evolving and preparing for an additional photography period, we were considering who could bring a very specific kind of gravitas that suited the film’s tone.”
“When Giancarlo [Esposito] became available, it was such a no-brainer. I have a very particular history with him. He’s iconic for working with Spike Lee, and I interned with Spike Lee when I was 19 years old. Of course, fans have been fan-casting him in the MCU for a long time. So it was really about ensuring that all the elements aligned with the grounded tone and vision I have for this film. As we evolved and iterated, Giancarlo just made sense. What a blessing to have him in this film.”
Last month, Rollins appeared on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, where he noted that his wife, Becky Lynch, has more of a passion for acting than he does.