The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an ever running machine. It doesn’t stop, and it doesn’t even slow down. We’re on the verge of Captain America: Civil War being released and Doctor Strange is still finishing off its production, but now we have a third picture that has begun filming. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is underway and in addition to our familiar team, four actors have been officially confirmed by director James Gunn to be joining the next chapter. Some have been rumored previously, while others are complete unknowns. Here’s a rundown of the new cast members, as confirmed by a studio press release.
Kurt Russell had been rumored for a role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 for the last couple of months. The last we’d heard he still hadn’t read the script or even seen the first film, so he hadn’t committed to doing this one yet. He apparently liked when he saw as he’s now officially on board. The current rumor is that Russell will play Star-Lord’s father, though exactly which character that will turn out to be is still up in the air.
Pom Klementieff has been the actress that we’ve known was on board for a while now. The prevailing rumor has been that the Oldboy actress will be playing the role of Mantis and James Gunn has now confirmed that that is the case. Mantis has also been a character that has been directly involved with the Avengers in the comics, so there’s the potential that her role could extend far beyond Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Elizabeth Debicki is a relative newcomer to Hollywood although she had roles last year in both Everest and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. Outside of that, she has a lead role in an Australian television series as well as a supporting role in a British TV series, both set for later this year. Debicki is half Australian and half Polish, though she was born in Paris, making her potential appeal literally global. We have no idea which character she’ll be playing, so let the speculation begin.
Finally, we have Chris Sullivan, probably best known for his role as Tom Cleary on the Cinemax series The Knick. As With Elizabeth Debicki, we’re pretty much in the dark as to who Sullivan will be playing but he’s a pretty big guy with a strong voice, so we’re going to tentatively go with Ego, the living planet. He’s just about the only other new character we believe will be appearing, and somebody will need to voice him.
What do you think of these new cast members? See them in action when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 opens on May 5, 2017.
