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UPFRONTS 2013: The Overachievers 
EXCLUSIVE: As Marvel Studios does each time it looks to land a lead for a superhero franchise, Kevin Feige’s hit-making studio has put together a short list for the lead in its next major project, Guardians Of The Galaxy. Marvel, after reportedly hiring James Gunn as director, has begun the effort to cast Peter Quill, the Guardians leader who is the offspring of a human mother and an alien father. I’m hearing that Marvel is making test deals with a small group of leading men. Here are the names: Zero Dark Thirty‘s Joel Edgerton, Boardwalk Empire‘s Jack Huston, Cloud Atlas‘ Jim Sturgess, Lee Pace (who has roles in both Lincoln and The Hobbit), and Eddie Redmayne from Les Miserables.
I’ve confirmed all of them are in contention but can’t say definitively that this list is all-inclusive as I’ve also heard of interest from or in Garrett Hedlund, James Marsden (he already played Cyclops in X-Men, but then again Chris Evans played Fantastic Four‘s Human Torch before landing Captain America) and Edgerton’s Animal Kingdom co-star Sullivan Stapleton. We’ll stay tuned, but this certainly means that Marvel and Disney are serious about launching new superhero franchises.
Guardians Of The Galaxy first appeared in Marvel Comics way back in 1969 but didn’t get its own series until the 1990s. Quill leads a group of alien superheros who team to protect the solar system from an evil alien race. The good guys are from the future, and another dimension. In the comics, the Guardians worked with The Avengers, so there should be opportunities to use Marvel’s big franchises to help launch the new one. That gives Disney a deep space companion to its plans to resuscitate Star Wars.
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Redmayne, Pace, and Edgerton deserve to be leading men. I hope one of them snags the lead.
Well, if you want someone who’s properly half-alien looking, you cannot beat Eddie Redmayne and his creepy fish-man lips…
Eddie Redmayne is gorgeous, you can’t be serious. He looks like Johnathan Rhys-Meyer’s little brother.
Excellent ideas – go for it DAVID! HA! Patty
I like pace. He was great in Crossing Over.
Enough with the pretty boys… Sullivan Stapleton all the way please!
Diana, Stapleton is a pretty boy too, but he is another unbelievably talented Aussie actor that is good-looking and very charismatic. This guy is commanding , and he is always watchable. His star power is blinding.
He’s great to look at, but also a REAL man. I think that’s what she’s saying. Talented too!!
Yes, Love Sullivan!!! , he is 100% man . Australia and New Zealand have created many manly and appealing movie actors. It is not surprising they are taking over Hollywood.
These Guardians aren’t from the future. That’s the original Guardians.
RICHARD HARROW FOR STAR-LORD.
I definitely do not want to see Sturgess as Quill. Out of the people on the list, I think that Huston would be best for the role.
I vote fot Pace, Huston and Marsden.
If Pace doesn’t get this role, he should get Warlock. If Thanos is showing up, can Warlock be far behind?
Joel Edgerton all the way
Edgerton was awesome in WARRIOR.
Maybe they shouldn’t use “Guardians” in the title. Just saying…
Ha! You may be onto something.
Pace is my number one choice but I’m really fine with any of the candidates but Sturgess.
Obviously it comes down to:
1) who can they get for the right, but cheap price. The SFX-CGI on this is going to be huge. At least according to the book juggling accountants.
2) who can they market most effectively for that “whatever” budget they’ll have
3) who will work most effectively with each other, that are not big stars yet, etc., etc.
Too bad I just couldn’t keep it to who will be the best actors for this merchandising machine.
It has to be Jack Huston!
After the two lousy Guardian cartoons- now they’re doing a live action Guardians- Sounds bad to me. Change the name
I’m pretty close to the target demo and I have never, ever heard of Guardians of the Galaxy. I suspect I’m very far from alone. I smell another Green Lantern.
It’s not really anything like Green Lantern. If you have ever seen the TV show Farscape it’s a lot more like that.
Jim Sturgess for the win!!
All white guys? How surprisingly boring and wack… Marvel will probably make The Black Panther with Chris Pine. smh
Yeah, and not to mention a wild raccoon and a walking talking oak tree who just goes around saying GROOT all the time. How disappointly droll…
Someone get the NAACP on the line. I wanna complain…
~
Coat
I would love to see Jack Huston break out in a big way. I think he’s a real talent with a unique look. Would also like to see Charlie Cox , also a Boardwalk Empire alum, getting a good look too.
Out of that group, doesn’t Joel Edgerton sort of stick out like a sore thumb, for better or worse?
He’s by far the oldest of the bunch, and he even looks older than the age gaps between him and the others.
Sturgess is also a mystery among the rest.
How is there any role for which Joel Edgerton and Jim Sturgess would both be competing against each other?
Lee Pace would be fantastic as Star-Lord. I hope he lands the role. Edgerton, Huston, and Stapleton would be fine too. Every other candidate shouldn’t even be considered. But like i said, Pace i think has the charm and personality and acting skills to make a great Peter Quill. And to Neo, I’m pretty sure we’ll be seeing Prince T’Challa in phase 3 of the MCU. No need to be cynical, Marvel has done very well so far.
Marvel would be smart to screen test the young actors from the cast of Starz’s Spartacus. They have great potential . Yes, Joel Edgerton has future movie star written all over him. I admired the way Joel held his own physically & emotionally opposite, Mr. Scene Stealer, Tom Hardy in ” Warriors.” That wasn’t easy to do.
None of these guys turn me on. Start over.
If this weren’t a Disney property, I’d say there’d be a 99.99999% chance that this film would never, ever be made.
It holds a B-level status, if that, among comic book fans (Iron Man was regarded as a B-level series just 5 years ago). Among the general public, it’s F-level and not even a recognizable property.
But if Cars and, especially, Cars 2 taught anyone anything, it’s that mediocre or even terrible franchise movies can rake in so much dough via licensed merch — literally, billions in revenue — that no one cares about film quality or even box office receipts.
So, with Guardians of the Galaxy we’ve got (at least) 5 characters that already look like perfect action figures and video game characters. Rocket Raccoon may rake in $50 million in licensed merch all by himself. You spend $120 million to make the movie, you gross about $300 million in tickets worldwide, and you rake in 10-figures in licensing (video games, toys, clothing, etc.)
@ blink: so just because not too many people in the general public have heard of the Guardians of the Galaxy, it has no potential of being a high-quality movie? So, you’re saying a property needs to be famous to make for a good adaption. That’s pretty stupid logic.
@jackie
No, that was not my statement or point at all. Please re-read my post, slowly this time.
But I’ll spell it out for you:
1. Studios aim to make (produce, distribute, etc.) movies that earn a profit.
2. A profit, through ticket sales, requires lots of ticket buyers. A movie with a “large built-in fan base” likely will have more ticket buyers than one without such a fan base (but such a fan base is not required).
3. If a property is popular among the general public, it has a “large built-in fan base.” And vice versa.
4. Studios aim to make movies from properties that are popular among the general public, with the basis being that the property has a “large built-in fan base.” (leading to more tickets)
5.. If a property is not popular among the general public, it likely does not have a “large built-in fan base.” And vice versa.
6. Studios won’t want to adapt a source that’s not already popular, since it won’t have that built in fan base. Without that fan base, there’s a lower chance of high ticket sales, and profit.
7. Guardians of the Galaxy is not popular among the general public, nor it does not have “large built-in fan base.”
8. Studios will not adapt Guardians of the Galaxy, at least not for the reason that it will earn a profit by selling a lot of tickets via its popularity among the general public or because it has a “large built-in fan base.”
9. Disney is a studio, and it aims to earn a profit through making movies.
10. Disney is adapting Guardians of the Galaxy to earn a profit.
11. THerefore, Disney cannot be adapting Guardians of the Galaxy on the basis that it is looking to profit from higher ticket sales stemming from Guardians’ popularity among the public or Guardians’ “large built-in fan base,” because Guardians is neither popular nor has a large fan base built in.
12. Either
A) Disney is not looking to profit
B) Disney is looking to profit, but not from ticket sales, but from some other source.
C) Disney is looking to profit from ticket sales, and has a reason other than “popular property” and “built in fan base” as its reason for selling tickets
13. Disney makes a lot of profit off of merchandise off of its movies. Most studios don’t make the same amount of profit, or profit at all, from merchandising. Disney is on record as stating that they are looking to make movies with merchandising potential.
14. Disney is making Guardians of the Galaxy to profit off of merchandising. Most studios don’t use this as a reason to make movies.
15. Most other studios would NOT adapt Guardians of the Galaxy, because
A) it is not a popular source, and it lacks a built in fan base, AND
B) merchandising is Guardians’ most viable way of profiting AND
C) most studios don’t market merchandising with Disney’s effort.
BOTTOM LINE: If not for Disney, Guardians of the Galaxy likely would NEVER be made. Thanks to Disney’s probably merch roll-out strategy for Guardians, it IS being made to a movie.
Lee Pace has been waiting a while for a breakout role – he was superb in the acclaimed ‘Soldier’s Girl’ and ‘The Fall’ and adorable in every other project including ‘Pushing Daises’.