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After taking the top job at DC Films, James Gunn is just about ready to make his exit from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but not before delivering a final Guardians of the Galaxy film. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to premiere in May and from the looks of it, it may just be the last time that everyone’s favorite Guardians – Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, and Bradley Cooper – will assemble in the MCU.
That said, the upcoming film will also see the introduction of Will Poulter as Adam Warlock. And while Marvel hasn’t announced Poulter’s casting in other future projects, Gunn has teased that he set up the character to appear again later on.
Will Poulter Auditioned Without Knowing Which Marvel Role It Was For
Back in 2021, all Poulter knew was that Marvel was casting for the new Guardians film.
“I first auditioned in June of last year [2021], and that was the first time I auditioned, and then I kind of got the role in September, I think. And then started shooting in December…,” the actor recalled during an interview with The Playlist.
“I didn’t know what character, initially, I was auditioning for. I kind of knew sort of closer to the time [of casting] who I was reading for.”
And while Poulter didn’t know much about Adam Warlock after he got cast, he knew Gunn’s Marvel work well.
“Although I wasn’t familiar with Adam Warlock beforehand, I was very familiar with Guardians of the Galaxy, and it was kind of my favorite ‘planet’ within the Marvel universe, if you like,” he continued.
“I’m just a huge fan of the tone and the creativity and James Gunn’s work and so many of the actors, you know, that I now get to call colleagues, which I’m very grateful for. So yeah, to have any kind of part in that world is very, very cool for me.”
Aside from studying the character, Poulter also immediately went to work getting in shape for the part. Luckily too, he was already quite in shape.
“I’m really lucky in that ahead of all the physical preparation relative to Marvel, I had so much support from a team of people who were helping me out with the dietary side of things and the training and I’m very, very fortunate to have got a lot of support,” the actor said.
“So it’s not something that I did on my own or I would recommend anyone does on their own. It’s a lot easier when it is your job to literally just commit yourself to that.”
James Gunn Cast Will Poulter With The ‘Future’ In Mind
Now, ever since, Poulter was revealed as Adam Warlock, some people took to social media to protest the actor’s casting. Gunn was well aware of what was going on but there’s a good reason why he chose Poulter over other stars.
“People online were saying, ‘Oh, Tom Cruise should be Adam Warlock,’” Gunn recalled.
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“I wanted somebody who was youthful, and I wanted the person who had the dramatic chops and the comedic chops, not only for this movie but for what Marvel will use Adam Warlock for in the future.”
And while Gunn won’t say anything further about that “future,” the filmmaker further teased, “He could become this really important character. All the time raising him in that cocoon looks to have been worth it.”
The Director Also Hopes To Break The Curse Of The Threequels With Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
As Gunn also exits Marvel, he shares his hope that his final Guardians film will finally break the curse that typically befalls the third film of most trilogies.
“The amount of good third episodes in a trilogy, I can count them on one hand,” he pointed out. “Basically, there’s the Before Sunrise series. Lord of the Rings. Maybe Spider-Man. But there’s just not too many good third ones.”
And so, he pulled out all the stops for this third installment, even referring to it as “the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
This time around, the story is centered on Rocket (Cooper). The character also happens to be the reason Gunn felt compelled to make the film in the first place.
“I would’ve been very sad not to complete the trilogy for many reasons, but I just feel very connected to Rocket. I feel like nobody would be able to tell his full story if it wasn’t me,” he said.
“To me, Rocket has always been the secret protagonist of the Guardians movies. From the beginning, it has been rooted in who he is as a character.”
In the end, Gunn is quite pleased with how it turned out. “Once I started doing the first Guardians movie, I felt drawn to it,” he said.
“I felt called to it, if that makes any sense. So I feel very good [about Vol. 3] because I feel like I did everything that I possibly could to make this trilogy as good as it can possibly be. And I feel incredibly blessed and fortunate that I had all these people around me making it. It’s the biggest blessing of my life.”
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 premieres May 5, 2023.
