There have been many rumors surrounding Guardians of the Galaxy. Some said Tony Stark would make an appearance, others said The Controller would be the film’s main antagonist. While all comments regarding Robert Downey Jr. suiting up for the James Gunn-helmed project were dismissed as pure speculation, it seems the director has found his villain in Lee Pace, who starred in ABC’s Pushing Daisies. Whether he will play The Controller or Thanos himself though is up for debate.
Guardians of the Galaxy is being kept under wraps by Marvel Studios, but we’re still getting updates on the cast. So far, Parks and Recreations‘ Chris Pratt has been confirmed in the role of Star-Lord (for which Lee Pace was in the running at one point), and wrestler Dave Bautista will be playing Drax the Destroyer. Last week, it was confirmed that frequent James Gunn collaborator Michael Rooker (Merle in AMC’s The Walking Dead) will star as Yondu — a member of the original Guardians. Finally, despite reports that claimed Zoe Saldana had been cast as Gamora, James Gunn recently stated that the Avatar actress has merely entered negotiations to play the part, while British actress Ophelia Lovibond was cast in an unspecified supporting role.
Rocket Raccoon and Groot (the two remaining members of the Guardians) will only have voice actors, since they’re a talking raccoon and a giant tree, respectively. There have been rumors about Jim Carrey playing the former, although he was quick to deny them.
Lee Pace is a decent (if slightly underrated) actor. The shocking cancellation of Pushing Daisies in 2008 probably didn’t help his career a whole lot, but Pace has managed to score acting gigs here and there — only four months ago we saw him as Thranduil in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Did you notice it was him? Yeah, neither did I.
Guardians of the Galaxy will begin principal photography in June for an August 1, 2014 release. Let us know what you think of Lee Pace joining the cast.