The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become such a powerful, yet prestigious gig that even Academy Award winners are frequently appearing in its various films. Though there's one name you won't be seeing anytime soon, as Matthew McConaughey turned down the role as the baddie in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2.
Variety buried the news in a recent casting announcement, but in their brief blurb it was suggested by an inside source that McConaughey was offered the role – only to reject it. No details about the role were revealed, but the piece went on to speculate that a replacement will be found in the coming weeks. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 is scheduled to start production at some time in the beginning of next year, in order to make its spot on the 2017 release slate.
With no official reason given for Matthew McConaughey's rejection, we'd be willing to guess that the actor's upcoming slate of 2016 releases has something to do with his being unable to say yes to the project. On record, the Interstellar actor has both Gold and The Free State Of Jones sitting in post-production, with two voice roles in production and The Sea Of Trees still remaining unreleased. Between any additional work his live action roles may need, the voice over work he's about to provide, and promotion for all five films on his plate, there's probably not a lot of time to threaten the galaxy.
Of course, there's always the possibility that this "insider knowledge" is a whisper campaign to either drum up interest in the Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 role, or even a tactic to draw McConaughey into a project he may not have been formally asked to do. It could go either way at this point. Still, the fact remains that as of this moment, we will not be seeing Matthew McConaughey in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, and that's kind of a bummer. Considering the massive amount of acting talent that the McConnaissance has allowed him to display, a comic book movie would be the perfect Infinity Gem in the crown of his illustrious career.
Though we don't know anything about the role that Matthew McConaughey turned down, we might get some sort of inkling out of whoever is eventually announced for the role. Not to mention, with the casting announcements already starting with today's news that actor Pom Klementieff has been cast in a mysterious role, there's probably going to be a flood of casting announcements coming in the next few months. Still, we'll always have a spot in our hearts and minds for the skirmish that could have been between Chris Pratt and Matthew McConaughey.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 will kick box office ass on May 5, 2017 – just in time for Star Lord and his pals to celebrate Cinco De Mayo!
