Once upon a time Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was going to kick off the new phase of Marvel Cinematic Universe. While that ended up not happening, the film is finally in production and fans are certainly excited about that. But now James Gunn has given fans yet one more reason to be excited, as the movie will include Peacemaker co-star Chukwudi Iwuji, in what is apparently a really big role.
James Gunn shared a picture to Twitter to celebrate the first day of filming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 which includes the core cast, as well as a couple of brand new faces. Will Poulter is there, who we know is on board to play Adam Warlock, but so is a face that we had not known we’d see with Chukwudi Iwuji. In a follow up tweet Gunn confirms that Iwuji has joined the cast, and says he’s playing a big role that a lot of big name actors apparently wanted to play.
Chuk has indeed joined the cast. After working with him on #Peacemaker I wasn’t about to let go of one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with - so I gave him the role most every big name actor in Hollywood wanted. #TalentAboveAllElse https://t.co/ar2vYqRt5uNovember 8, 2021
Obviously, this tease sends the mind racing, wondering just what role James Gunn could be talking about. Is the statement that “every big name actor” wanted this role simply hyperbole, or is it actually a joke, with James Gunn you can never be sure.
James Gunn could just be messing around but the fact that Chukwudi Iwuji is in this picture with the rest of the core cast certainly indicates he’s playing a significant part. It seems likely that, while Gunn might be exaggerating about exactly how many other people wanted the role, he is probably being largely truthful that this is a role that bigger name could have filled, but Gunn felt Iwuji was the right talent.
And so of course one has to wonder what that role could be. A lot of fans are responding to the tweet with their own suggestions. Richard Rider, aka Nova, is one of the more popular suggestions. There have been rumors of Nova appearing in the MCU, and even a Nova focused project that might be upcoming, so it certainly makes some sense.
Of course, the cosmic side of Marvel Comics is full of characters that have not been tapped yet, so the sky is quite literally the limit here. Chukwudi Iwuji could be playing almost anybody. What’s maybe interesting is the fact that James Gunn isn’t telling us. When Will Poulter’s casting was announced we were told he would be playing Adam Warlock. It may be that, since fans were expecting Warlock to show up, it didn’t make sense to keep that secret, but this is a secret that Marvel Studios is looking to keep.
Of course, now that we know that Chukwudi Iwuji is in the movie, we can expect the rumors of who he will be playing to start. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to open in May 2023.
