Though Zoe Saldana essentially owns the role of Gamora, the part was actually offered first to Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia), but she turned the role down because she said she ‘didn’t want to be in Marvel’s first bomb.’

In a recent interview with Happy Sad Confused, Seyfried admitted that she passed on the role because she didn’t want to spend too much time on the make-up chair–plus she thought the movie wasn’t going to be a hit. She explains:

“I was really scared of the idea of being stuck and painted a different color because of the amount of time that the X-Men people had been [on the makeup chair].”

There was also the case that Seyfried didn’t think the movie was going to be a success either. She continued, “I definitely got the offer for it, and I definitely milled over it for a couple of days, but I didn’t want to live in London for six months out of the year… Let’s also remember, being part of a Marvel movie—the first Marvel movie that bombs ain’t good for your career. I thought that because this was about a talking tree and a talking raccoon that it was gonna be Marvel’s first bomb and that Chris Pratt and I would never work again. I was wrong. I was just being smart, not brave… I was way too scared.”

For now, Seyfried is still out of the Marvel Studios bubble, but with more properties getting adapted, it may only be a matter of time before she eventually joins the fray.

As for the Gamora character, it looks like she’s been officially retired from the MCU, but there are still plans for the Guardians to return (as well as a possible Star-Lord spinoff). Hopefully Marvel finds someone else to take it over.

Personally, I think ex-Ant-Man director Edgar Wright would be a great choice for a new Guardians team, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

The next Marvel Studios film, Thunderbolts* is set to release on May 2.

According to insider Daniel Richtman (via @cosmic_marvel), a new Avengers game is in development, and what’s more, it won’t be connected to Crystal Dynamics Avengers game. No further details have been revealed about the title, but it does seem like Marvel Games already has a lot to learn from based on their recent releases.

If I were to make a guess on what kind of game this is going to be, it’s possible that they’re going to be ditching the live service model—since Marvel Rivals already has that covered. If anything, this could be a narrative-focused game, not unlike Crystal Dynamics’ Guardians of the Galaxy game.

GOTG may not have done well when it released 2021, but a lot of people blame that for the bad press of Marvel’s Avengers. A lot of people who have played the game have nothing but great things to say about it, and people have been saying that GOTG was the game that Avengers should have been striving for; but just like with Suicide Squad, it looked like Square Enix wanted to chase that golden goose, and it ended up biting them in the ass.

No official announcement has been made for an Avengers game, but it could be very possible that something is cooking behind-the-scenes at Marvel Games.

The film is set to release in theatres this August, and we have a new trailer featuring a star-studded cast and a colourful sci-fi world. Check this out:

With the original Borderlands clearly taking inspiration from the world of Mad Max, the universe sets itself apart by also giving the wasteland a sci-fi twist with all kinds of aliens and special factions.

While a lot of people have been wondering what was so appealing about Borderlands as a sequel, the latest trailer does seem to confirm that LIonsgate wants this film to be their version of Guardians of the Galaxy, what with the sci-fi action scenes and silly humor.

I have to admit, it’s impressive that they managed to gather an all-star cast for the film. And Kevin Hart has basically perfected the comic relief sidekick trope, but I’m interested to see him play against type as a serious military man.

Even Jamie Lee Curtis looks like she just fits into this world as a kooky old sci-fi lady.

With no Guardians Vol. 4 in sight yet, maybe Borderlands should be a fun stand in while we wait.

Here’s the official description:

Lilith (Blanchett), an infamous bounty hunter with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home, Pandora, the most chaotic planet in the galaxy. Her mission is to find the missing daughter of Atlas (Ramírez), the universe’s most powerful S.O.B. Lilith forms an unexpected alliance with a ragtag team of misfits – Roland (Hart), a seasoned mercenary on a mission; Tiny Tina (Greenblatt), a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg (Munteanu), Tina’s musclebound protector; Tannis (Curtis), the oddball scientist who’s seen it all; and Claptrap (Black), a wiseass robot. Together, these unlikely heroes must battle an alien species and dangerous bandits to uncover one of Pandora’s most explosive secrets. The fate of the universe could be in their hands – but they’ll be fighting for something more: each other. Based on one of the best-selling videogame franchises of all time, welcome to BORDERLANDS.

Catch Borderlands when it comes to cinemas on Aug. 9.

Bautista has been a fan-favorite fancast for the character of Bane from Batman, and Bautista has shared a fan edit from Boss Logic of him as the Man Who Broke the Bat. Check this out:

Dave Bautista shares ‘Bane’ concept art

James Gunn recently expressed interest in wanting to work with Dave in the DCU pic.twitter.com/L3CbKkkK1Y

— ScreenTime (@screentime) February 18, 2024

Bautista has been fancast by several people as Bane for years, but there is also the camp of fans who want to see him try out a role that isn’t so physically imposing; some think he could be a fantastic Hugo Strange for a future Batman film just based on his minimal role in the Blade Runner sequel:

Admittedly, the Marvel star has been lauded for being the best ‘wrestler-turned-actor’ among his batch, with John Cena trailing behind him. Of course, the success of Dwayne Johnson can’t be ignored, but among critics, the Rock can pretty much only play one character, and no amount of Black Adam story is going to make him suddenly more interesting.

As for Bautista, I am hoping that he managed to branch out to non-brute roles, but I would still line up to watch him play Bane. After Tom Hardy’s take on the character, I am curious as to how else they could approach him moving forward.

Watch out for Bautista in Dune: Part Two which hits cinemas on March 1.

When asked on Threads (via ComicBookMovie) if Gunn was going to work on the fourth Guardians or a Star-Lord movie, he replied with , “No I’m pure DC,” and when asked if he was ever going to write for Marvel again if he wanted to, Gunn said, “I could not either physically or legally.”

With big studios having exclusivity contracts with creatives, it would make sense that WB would want Gunn to stick to working on his DC Universe. Though it’s a shame that Gunn won’t be able to come back to his established franchise, it’s probably for the best because the pressure is on for Gunn to deliver a whole new DC Universe that’s coherent and as successful as Marvel’s movie franchise.

Though Gunn won’t be able to write, I do hope that there’s room for him to be a producer for the next Guardians movie. After all, that franchise is his baby, and it would be a shame if they just pushed forward without at least a little input from him.

Personally, I would love Edgar Wright to take over a new team of Guardians. He’s proven himself to be quite the ‘geeky director’ and he’s yet to put his hands on a huge sci-fi IP. Star Wars may be too strict for him, but I think GOTG could use his signature style and flair.

Plus, he gets to bury the hatchet with Marvel after what they did to him and Ant-Man.

A new Guardians film hasn’t been announced, but Gunn’s Superman: Legacy comes to theaters in 2025.

We don’t know how Gunn is going to be treating Lois in his reboot, but Brosnahan does share some teases. Talking to ET, she was asked to give a few words to describe her Lois, Brosnahan went with, “Feisty. Dare I say, marvellous? And fiercely intelligent.”

Rachel Brosnahan on how she’s putting her own 'feisty' and ‘marvelous’ spin on Lois Lane in SUPERMAN: LEGACY pic.twitter.com/xovJH0ed8e

— DC Film News (@DCFilmNews) January 15, 2024

Though the character of Lois Lane is considered to be the classic damsel in distress, modern incarnations of her have been rewritten to actually give her some more grit and have her stand beside Superman as an equally important character. Man of Steel has Lois being the one to discover Superman and his secret identity, and My Adventures with Superman frames Lois as the protagonist.

As for Brosnahan, she’s best known to be a spunky Jewish lady comic from the 1960s thanks to her role as Mrs. Maisel, but we don’t know how that will translate to a new character with Lois Lane. No doubt it’s also going to depend greatly on her chemistry with the new Superman, so we’ll just have to wait and see till Gunn gives us our first teaser—whenever that’s going to be.

In the same interview, Brosnahan also shared:

“I’ve really enjoyed the collaboration with James Gunn so far. Every single person involved with this production is such a perfect nerd for Superman. We all grew up watching the movies and some of us grew up reading the comics…

“I feel like it’s being made with so much love. This Superman will have a sense of humour…we’re excited to both put our own spin on things but also honour the material we love so much.”

Superman: Legacy is expected to hit theaters on July 11, 2025.

According to Deadline, Sean Gunn has been cast as the DCU’s Maxwell Lord. Though Lord isn’t expected to have a major role in Superman: Legacy, it’s said he would be referenced in the background, and will appear as a main character in a future project.

Maxwell Lord may not be on the same level of fame as Lex Luthor or the Joker, but he did play the main villain in Wonder Woman 1984 played by Pedro Pascal. Admittedly, a lot of people thought that Pascal’s Lord was a tad undercooked, but with Sean Gunn being cast in the role, we should expect a new take on the fan-favorite DC villain.

So far, Gunn has been a character actor who has played some memorable side roles, especially Kraglin in the Guardians of the Galaxy films. Marvel fans also know that Gunn plays the body double for Rocket Racoon, but admittedly Bradley Cooper has been getting all the credit for that part.

If anything, I am ready for Sean Gunn to take the main stage, and I’m interested to see if he has what it takes to really be a solid villain. We know that Marvel has pretty much squandered some great casting in the MCU, but hopefully Gunn will manage to solve that problem with his growing DC Universe.

Superman: Legacy is set to come out July 11, 2025.

Bautista posted on his social media (via @homeofdcu):

https://twitter.com/homeofdcu/status/1729517376700305592

While it’s not official confirmation, Gunn does have a penchant for casting his friends in his projects, just look at Michael Rooker and his brother Sean Gunn who have both had roles in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise as well as Gunn’s The Suicide Squad.

Going back to Bautista though, fans are definitely onboard for him to join the DCU as a specific character. Though a lot of fans do think that he can pull off another heavy bruiser character like Batman rogue Bane, a lot are hoping that Gunn has the sense to cast him in a more intellectual role—like lesser known Batman villain Hugo Strange.

After his role in M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin, Bautista has definitely proven that he can play very quiet and emotional characters. My only requirement for Bautista for joining the DCU is that he bring back those tiny glasses he wore in Blade Runner 2049:

So far, nothing official has been confirmed, but fans are hopeful Gunn makes good use of great talent; the same can’t be said for Marvel who has squandered good castings like Mads Mikkelsen in Doctor Strange or Andy Serkis in Black Panther.

Watch the trailer for Season 2 of I Am Groot:

We don’t exactly know where these stories fit into the Guardians canon, but they are mostly non-consequential with Baby Groot kind of just going through his own silly tasks.

Occasionally there will be an appearance from another Guardian like Rocket in the first season, but not even Bradley Cooper bothered to return to reprise the role. Who knows, maybe they could actually have an actor show up in the second season like Chris Pratt or Pom Klementieff. It would probably be a huge ask to have Zoe Saldana or Dave Bautista show up in make-up for just a few minutes of footage.

For now, James Gunn is closing the book on his Guardians trilogy to take over the DCU, but he does leave the door open for more GOTG stories, what with Rocket taking over the group and having a new roster of Guardians including Adam Warlock, Cosmo, and Kraglin.

We may have to wait a couple of years, but I am hoping Marvel somehow gets Edgar Wright to helm the next Guardians. Wright was originally set to direct Ant-Man before leaving, and it would be great if he could patch things up with Marvel and take on his own space opera.

I Am Groot Season 2 starts streaming on Disney+ on Sept. 6. The first season is now available to watch on the platform.

As per the official announcement, GOTG Vol. 3 will be hitting the streams on August 2:

Though the Guardians trilogy by James Gunn is already completed, the door is left open for a future Guardians movie to be made, but with a whole new roster of characters. The post-credits scene also teases the return of Star-Lord somehow, but it’s possible he could show up in another incoming series, seeing that he’s decided to move in with his grandfather and check out Earth for the first time.

I’ll admit, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 isn’t a perfect movie, but it definitely closes the book on the characters in a meaningful way. Though this version of the Guardians may never team-up again, it would be great if the characters could show up in future movies, like Mantis and her newfound ability to control animals as well as the new Gamora who has found herself high up in the Ravager ranks. I wouldn’t even mind following up on Nebula who seems to be the only one running things on Knowhere.

Watch out for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 when it comes to streaming on Aug. 2.

Check this out:

As Gillan explains in the video, she was only supposed to cover a day of her Nebula work, but she decided to make it a full week. In the video, we get to follow her as early as 4 a.m., getting to work putting on the Nebula make-up, then going off to shoot some scenes.

What’s great is Gillan also gives the spotlight to all the crew that helps put her costume together, some of which have been working with her for the Avengers films. We also get an appearance from director James Gunn and Sean Gunn, the body double for Rocket who also plays Kraglin in live-action.

So far, it looks like Nebula’s story for Guardians has been concluded, but it would be great if we got to see her in the future as a figurehead on Knowhere along with others like Drax who has also retired from his Guardians work.

Here’s the official description of GOTG Vol. 3:

Still reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill must rally his team to defend the universe and protect one of their own. If the mission is not completely successful, it could possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now showing in theaters.

Talking to Gizmodo, Gunn was asked about how the Avengers films affected the Guardians trilogy, and he replied that it was tough to write around Thanos killing Gamora. Gunn explains:

“[One major] thing was Gamora dying. But I was a big part of that choice so that was easier and I actually think it makes the movie much better. It’s much more interesting. At one point, Gamora almost died in Volume 2. And so I was really happy to work with that in a unique way and work with kind of what Quill’s damage is.”

He doesn’t go into detail about how Gamora was supposed to die, but with Yondu sacrificing himself in that film, I guess having Gamora die would have been too much for a character like Quill to move on from—especially with the events of Infinity War about to take place.

If you ask me, Gunn actually deals with Gamora’s death pretty well in Vol. 3, and it allows for an interesting dynamic not just with Quill, but with Nebula as well.

Still reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill must rally his team to defend the universe and protect one of their own. If the mission is not completely successful, it could possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.

Catch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 when it hits cinemas on May 5.

Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Gunn says, “They did some things that I wouldn’t have wanted,” specifically pointing out the scene where Star-Lord hesitates to kill Gamora and him punching out Thanos when he was held down, ultimately resulting in the team failing to remove the Infinity Gauntlet from him.

In the movie’s defense, Quill still tried to kill Gamora, but it really was his outburst that led to Thanos’ win on Titan. Admittedly, a lot of people have been using this scene to justify why Star-Lord is the worst, but I imagine any one of the characters would have been the most hated if the writers made it their fault. I guess it was ultimately Peter had that the most at stake when it came to the loss of Gamora.

We don’t know what else was changed with the Guardians Vol. 3 script after Gunn was fired and re-hired, but I imagine he was still planning to have Rocket’s story come full circle. I’m sure everyone is curious what the movie would have looked like if Gunn was always onboard, but if he wasn’t fired, I imagine he would never have been hired to co-lead DC Studios for WB.

For now, watch out for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 which comes to theaters on May 5.

Talking to Empire, Gunn talks about how they cast Poulter and how the character of Adam could be essential to Marvel Phase 5. He explains:

“People online were saying, ‘Oh, Tom Cruise should be Adam Warlock… 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… He could become this really important character.”

With this movie said to be the final film for this iteration of the Guardians, the franchise could still move forward with a new roster—pretty much like the Avengers movies. With Adam being such a pivotal character in the comics, I think the movie could end with Adam being set up to be the new leader of the Galaxy’s Favorite A-Holes.

As for now though, Adam is going to be serving as an antagonist in the movie, with him sent to hunt down the Guardians by the Sovereign. Gunn describes the character:

“… He’s definitely not a good guy. What we’re seeing is the infant form of Warlock, newly out of the cocoon, and he does not understand life very well. He’s basically a baby.”

Despite the simple description, I think Adam could end up having one of the biggest emotional arcs in the film; but we’ll just have to wait and see till the movie comes out.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on May 5.

“I’m so grateful for Drax. I love him,” Bautista tells GQ, “But there’s a relief [that it’s over]. It wasn’t all pleasant. It was hard playing that role. The makeup process was beating me down. And I just don’t know if I want Drax to be my legacy—it’s a silly performance, and I want to do more dramatic stuff.” 

If anything, Bautista has managed to nab some roles in more cerebral projects like Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 and Dune; as well as Rian Johnson’s recently released Knives Out.

While the Rock seems to be content to play the usual role in action movies for 16-year-olds, you can clearly see that Bautista is trying to nab roles outside of his type, even landing the lead in M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming movie Knock at the Cabin. I guess it all wouldn’t have been possible if he didn’t get to do Drax first.

For now, Drax’s role in the next movie is a mystery, but some suspect that Drax will definitely be dying this time. With the character spending so much time lamenting his lost family in every Guardians film, I think his arc is going to close with him finally being able to join them.

At least, that’s my guess.

Catch Bautista in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 which comes to theaters  May 5, 2023.

This was shared by director James Gunn on Twitter:

For the #GuardiansoftheGalaxyHolidaySpecial, we used old-school rotoscoping animation in the style of the Ralph Bakshi films I liked growing up – and to give us that 1970’s & ‘80’s nostalgic Christmas Special feel. pic.twitter.com/udYmYGpHvV

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 29, 2022

Though they didn’t have to paint Rooker blue for the part anymore, we do get to see that he had to wear his costume from the Guardians films. Opposite Rooker is Luke Klein, whose face was altered during the animation to make it look closer to the young Quill we see in the films.

Some fans had also thought that the toy we see Rooker hold is a reference to Grogu from The Mandalorian, but Gunn confirms that it was one of the toys on Yondu’s console years before anyone conceptualized Grogu for Mando.

I have to admit, though the Holiday Special for Guardians was a clear riff at the Star Wars Holiday Special, I wasn’t expecting Gunn to add an animated sequence as well. It was a pretty nice touch, and it was a great way to have Yondu in the special without having to break any kind of canon.

I’ll admit, the special got kind of corny at times, but I guess that was the whole point of the special, with the Christmas songs and campy stakes. Rocket does tease another special down the line, but it will probably be coming out after the events of Guardians Vol. 3.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now streaming on HBO Max.

As per Bloomberg, EA has struck a new agreement with Marvel to develop three games set in the Marvel franchise, and Iron Man marks the beginning of the deal. We don’t have many details on the other incoming games, but EA COO Laure Miele did have this to say:

“We have an intentional, deliberate strategy to have a balanced portfolio… There will be Marvel fans who don’t play other EA games.”

Though Marvel’s success in the box office has been unrivalled, the studio is yet to find that sweet formula to be able to break ground in video games. Square Enix had tried and failed with their Avengers game, but they did generate some good buzz with Guardians of the Galaxy. Some think that the franchise should go in the direction of story-driven, third-person platform shooters—much like The Last of Us or the Uncharted games.

This is just my own pitch, but I think a lot of fans would love an Overwatch-style hero shooter where they can pick characters and go up against others in teams. DC is yet to have that kind of property, and Marvel would have the luxury of not having to come up with an explosive, huge, narrative. Plus, the non-canon nature of the game could allow them to generate some MCU skins without the complexity of having it make sense.

I’m just saying, Paladins and Valorant have been doing pretty well despite being dubbed Overwatch clones.

No release date has been announced for EA’s Iron Man title.

As per an official announcement, DC Studios will now be led by producer Peter Safran and The Suicide Squad director James Gunn. The two will serve as co-chairmen and CEOs of the DC franchise, and will answer directly to David Zaslav, WB Discovery head.

When it comes to their responsibilities, Gunn and Safran will be ‘responsible for the overall creative direction of the storied superhero franchise across film, TV, and animation under new unified banner.’

Zaslav says about the partnership:

“DC has among the most entertaining, powerful, and iconic characters in the world and I am thrilled to have the singular and complementary talents of James and Peter joining our world-class team and overseeing the creative direction of the storied DC Universe. Their decades of experience in filmmaking, close ties to the creative community, and proven track record thrilling superhero fans around the globe make them uniquely qualified to develop a long-term strategy across film, TV, and animation, and take this iconic franchise to the next level of creative storytelling.”

It’s certainly bizarre seeing Gunn become the co-lead of Marvel’s rival franchise. Though it seemed like he was only working with DC temporarily before he was re-hired by Marvel, he’s now solidified to work for the studio for four more years, and as the franchise head no doubt.

I wonder what Kevin Feige has to say about all of this.

We don’t know what DC plans for the future, but Black Adam is currently showing in theaters.

According to THR, Gunn is currently working on a ‘mystery movie’ for DC and ‘possibly more’. We don’t have any specific details about the project, but it’s said that he has teamed up with Shazam! producer Peter Safran for the project.

Seeing as Gunn has a penchant for slightly gross, found-family films, I have a feeling that his next DC project could go that direction as well. With DC having just as many super groups as Marvel, I can imagine Gunn being able to pick out any group of misfits that he can make an audience love.

That, or maybe he can go another direction this time, seeing as he’s only been making ensemble superhero films since 2014. I think a Peacemaker solo movie could be on the table, but maybe HBO Max wants to keep that as a series. A second season has already been greenlit anyway.

I’m just here hoping that Gunn manages to sharpen his humor with his next film. After the success of Guardians, I feel like some of his latter films haven’t been as clever when it comes to the jokes. Even Peacemaker wasn’t as funny as it thought it was at times.

No release date has been set for James Gunn’s mystery DC project, but you can catch the complete first season of Peacemaker now on HBO Max.

Talking to Fandango, Guardians vet Chris Pratt hypes up incoming cast member Will Poulter who has been cast as Adam, and he says:

“That guy has got such charisma. I’m so proud of him. He did a great job. He’s an awesome Adam Warlock; he looks incredible… He reminded me sort of when I got cast as Star-Lord; this sort of transformation that was expected, the discipline around it, the eagerness to do it, and his willingness to go… he did such a great job.”

We had the privelage of talking to Will Poulter and Chris Pratt about Will's newest role as Adam Warlock in #GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3, and Chris was DOTING.
See it in theaters May 5, 2023 pic.twitter.com/TV7dvPVQU0

— Fandango (@Fandango) July 29, 2022

With the Guardians series having ‘found family’ as the core of its themes, Pratt also talks about how he feels like a proud big brother when it comes to Poulter in the film. We don’t know what he’s going to look like in the series yet, but everyone kind of remembers how Pratt just completely got ripped for the first Guardians movie, and maybe that’s what we can expect of Poulter in the upcoming third volume.

We don’t know yet how large Adam’s role will be in the series, but seeing as he’s pretty much the nemesis of Thanos in the Infinity Gauntlet comics, we should expect him to be just as powerful in the films. My guess is, with this iteration of the Guardians expected to bow out in this film—Adam could end up leading the next team.

Then again, it’s just speculation.

Catch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 when it hits theaters on May 5, 2023.