Jonathan Majors Out, Knives Out Star In as Dennis Rodman in 48 Hours in Vegas

LaKeith Stanfield is suiting up as Dennis Rodman in 48 Hours in Vegas, stepping in for Jonathan Majors. Not a Marvel recast this time, but still a high-profile swap with a lot of baggage attached.

48 Hours in Vegas: the basics

• Star: LaKeith Stanfield as Dennis Rodman
• Replacing: Jonathan Majors
• Premise: Rodman bolts to Las Vegas in the middle of the 1998 NBA Finals
• Context: The Chicago Bulls are on the brink of finishing a second three-peat within eight years
• Producers: Phil Lord and Chris Miller

What this movie covers

The film is inspired by the not-so-quietly legendary story of Rodman taking a Vegas detour while the Bulls were chasing their sixth title. If you watched the Bulls era, you know this chapter is wild even by Rodman standards. The logline frames it as an untold slice of that Finals run, zeroing in on the chaos, the decision to disappear, and the fallout around a team trying to lock in history.

Stanfield, who tends to thrive playing charismatic agents of chaos, says he is genuinely fired up to play Rodman. He put it this way:

'Those who moved to the beat of their own drum, undeterred by the obstacles placed before them, then and now.'

That vibe fits. Rodman is not easy to pin down, and that is exactly the point of making this movie.

About that Jonathan Majors switch

This is not the first time Majors has been replaced after a brutal year. He was found guilty in December 2023 of misdemeanor assault and harassment, then in April 2024 received probation and a court-ordered 52-week in-person domestic violence intervention program. No prison time was included in the sentence, but the terms are clear: if he breaks the law, he risks going to prison.

Career-wise, the fallout has been severe. Majors is out as Kang the Conqueror in the MCU, and now he is off this Dennis Rodman film too. Whether he can mount a comeback or the industry just moves on is an open question. For this project, the studio did not wait around.

As for 48 Hours in Vegas, putting Stanfield at the center and having Phil Lord and Chris Miller producing tells you the tone they are aiming for: bold, heightened, and a little unruly. Feels right for a story about a Finals week where one of the Bulls literally left for Vegas.