James Gunn is assembling quite the cast for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’. Just as Marvel’s cosmic characters hail from universes far and wide, the director is pulling in actors from all over the entertainment spectrum. So far, we have Chris Pratt, who’s known for his comedic work on television, Dave Bautista, a former WWE Champion, and Zoe Saldana, a staple of some major films over the past few year, just to name a few. Then, within the past few days, veteran actress Glenn Close and fan-favorite ‘Doctor Who’ companion Karen Gillan have joined the cast as well. Now, another big name actor appears to have signed onto this project and beyond.
According to Deadline, Benicio Del Toro is the latest superstar talent to be added to ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ mix. Known for his roles in films such as ‘The Usual Suspects’, ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’, ‘Sin City’, and ‘Che’, the extremely intimidating performer is the third Puerto Rican to hold the distinction of winning an Academy Award. The actor can next be seen in ‘Jimmy P’, a true story that just premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival based on a Blackfoot Indian World War II vet that suffers from various ailments that are rooted in past traumas.
Details of Del Toro’s leading role in ‘Guardians’ are uncertain at this time, but it’s being reported that Marvel has signed him to a multiple movie deal, which means that there could be plans in place for his character somewhere down the line. Because of that small detail, the internet is already speculating that he’ll be playing Thanos in this film and in ‘The Avengers 2’. He certainly has the intimidation factor of the Mad Titan down, but we should really take that rumor with a grain of salt.
While this cast is extremely impressive right now, I worry that Gunn may be packing his film with too much star power as a crutch to stand on to make up for some problem somewhere. However, considering that the Guardians of the Galaxy aren’t as well known as heroes like Iron Man, Captain America, or Thor, Marvel needs to give the wider audience a reason to see the only original, non-sequel film in their second wave of movies. Plus, the House of Ideas has been known for their excellent casting choices and since this film calls for a big cast, it’s possible that they were just able to get the best possible people to play whatever characters the script has called for. With filming slated to commence soon in London, we may be getting answers sooner rather than later to set our speculation straight.
Regardless of the reasoning behind the all-star casting for this film, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ is certainly turning a bunch of heads and getting everyone to talk about it. Are you participating in the conversation? Let us know what you think about Benicio Del Toro joining Marvel’s upcoming intergalactic project in the comments below.
James Gunn’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ starring Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Lee Pace, Glenn Close, John C. Reilly, Karen Gillan, and Michael Rooker blasts off on August 1st, 2014.
