‘Survivor 49’ Cast Includes Former ‘Black Panther’ Producer

The first look at Season 49 of “Survivor” debuted following the season finale of “Survivor 48” on May 21, giving fans a sneak peek at the upcoming season, including some of its contestants. While the official cast has yet to be revealed, eagle-eyed fans were able to pick out a few recognizable castaways during the 60-second preview, including former Marvel Studios executive Nate Moore. 

The former executive can be seen briefly swimming through the waters of Fiji at the 34-second mark of the recently released teaser trailer. 

A Closer Look at Moore’s Work in the MCU

Moore, now 46, began working with Marvel in 2010. In 2014, Moore helped to develop the screenplay for “Guardians of the Galaxy” alongside James Gunn and Nicole Perlman before turning his focus to the MCU’s Captain America and Black Panther projects. Since then, Moore has received producing credits on “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014), “Captain America: Civil War” (2016), “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” (2021), “Captain America: Brave New World” (2025), “Black Panther” (2018) and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (2022). 

Despite a successful career with the MCU, Moore, who has since been named the executive vice president of production and development, announced in December 2024 that he would be leaving Marvel Studios to pursue independent ventures. 

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“Nate is a fantastic executive and colleague as well as a wonderful friend to all of us here at Marvel Studios,” wrote Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige and co-president Louis D’Esposito in a joint statement announcing Moore’s resignation. “He has been a core member of our team since 2010, and his influence will continue to reverberate in our storytelling. Although we’ll miss him a great deal, we look forward to watching what he does next.”

Feige and D’Esposito similarly confirmed that, despite Moore’s exit, the former executive would be returning to work on “Black Panther 3” in some capacity. 

“Nearly everything I know about producing I’ve learned from my time at Marvel Studios,” wrote Moore in a statement. “I feel lucky to have worked with a group of people who love filmmaking and storytelling as much as my Marvel colleagues and the cast and crew of our films But I couldn’t be more excited to apply my experience and passion for film towards theatrical movies in all genres, including returning to the world of Wakanda for ‘Black Panther 3.’”

Fans Identify Even More ‘Survivor 49’ Castaways

In addition to Moore, “Survivor” fans have been hard at work identifying the other castaways featured in the short promo for Season 49. 

X user Realitysea, who frequently posts about “Survivor” casting rumors, has similarly identified that 25-year-old Rizo Velovic will also join the cast of the forthcoming season. Velovic, who can be seen in the promo referring to himself as “The Riz God,” also hosts his own podcast titled “The RizPod” where he discusses sports. 

Realitysea similarly reported that the “Survivor 49” cast will feature 30-year-old therapist Sage Ahren Nichols, 27-year-old financial analyst Sophia Balerdi, and 34-year-old Alberta Ice Pilots hockey player and corrections officer Jake Latimer. 

 Alt-rock singer Annie Davis (a.k.a. Trashy Annie) is similarly rumored to appear on “Survivor 49,” alongside Netflix director Jawan Pitts and spacecraft architect Steven Ramm. 

The official cast announcement for the upcoming season likely won’t be announced until September 2025, assuming CBS follows the same schedule it did for “Survivor 47.” Conversely, the cast for “Survivor 50” is set to be announced on Wednesday, May 28 on “CBS Mornings.” The landmark season will feature a cast of returning players from throughout the show’s 25-year history.