With the conclusion of The Walking Dead in 2022 after an eleven season run, fans have been excited to see their favorite TWD actors take on new projects. One actor, whose character's death was one of the most divisive in the series, has made headlines with his award-winning performances in several projects. Now he has been cast in a new action thriller for Netflix.
In the season 7 opener, Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun) was brutally killed by the newly introduced leader of the Saviors, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). His death, and that of Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz), were two of the most brutal of the entire franchise. Glenn was a well-loved character introduced in season 1. Since departing the show, Yeun has been cast in incredible roles for which he has been nominated and won several awards. His performance in Minari earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor, making him the first Asian American to receive this honor,
In January 2026, Netflix will release The Rip, a crime thriller from director Joe Carnahan (Narc, Smokin’ Aces), from a story developed by Michael McGrale. Long-time friends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck team up, yet again, for the film, which also stars Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Néstor Carbonell, Lino Esco, Scott Adkins, and Kyle Chandler. The Rip is produced by Damon and Affleck's studio Artist Equity, which they founded in 2022.
The story follows a group of Miami cops who, after discovering a massive sum of cash in a stash house, begin to question who among them they can trust. In an interview with Tudum, Carnahan explained that the idea came from a friend's personal experience as head of tactical narcotics for the Miami-Dade police department and his love of 70s cop thrillers. The title is derived from Miami cops' term for "taking the bad guy's stuff," known as "ripping it," and the confiscation itself is referred to as "the rip."
The Rip will release globally on Netflix on January 16, 2026. The year is shaping up to be a big year for Yeun.
In the fall of 2026, Yeun will voice Zuko in the animated The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender from Paramount Pictures. The movie also stars Eric Nam as Aang, Dionne Quan as Toph Beifong, Jessica Matten as Katara, and Román Zaragoza as Sokka, with Dave Bautista confirmed as the movie's villain.