Will Poulter has spoken out about his recent casting in Marvel Studios’ hotly anticipated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, where he will play fan-favourite cosmic superhero Adam Warlock.
The actor, who is currently starring in hard-hitting drama series Dopesick, reportedly beat tough competition from Bridgerton‘s Regé-Jean Page and 1917‘s George MacKay to bag the exciting gig.
Warlock’s debut was teased in a post-credits scene at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, when gold-skinned alien Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) announced she had created the perfect being and named him Adam.
This sets up an explosive encounter between the powerful entity and the Guardians, who became bitter rivals of the Sovereign after humiliating them on more than one occasion in the second movie.
“I really can’t say that much at all, as I’m sure you know, but I’m very honoured to have been invited into the Guardians of the Galaxy family and to be part of the Marvel Universe,” Poulter told RadioTimes.com.
“I think the thing that attracted me was, the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise in particular is like one of the most creative and unique ones out there,” he continued.
Poulter added: “And I’m very grateful to James Gunn for entrusting me with this really respected and sought after character. I just hope I do it justice.”
Following the announcement last month that Poulter would be joining Guardians Vol. 3, director James Gunn described him as “an amazing actor and a wonderful guy”, adding that filming would be getting underway very soon.
It’s been a long time coming, as a brief fallout between Gunn and Disney led to him being temporarily dropped from the film, before ultimately getting rehired months later.
By that point, Gunn had committed to writing and directing The Suicide Squad for rival studio Warner Bros, while the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic was another setback for the Guardians team to contend with.
Following the latest batch of Marvel delays, Volume 3 is now scheduled for release in May 2023 – six years since the second film hit cinemas – while a Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is also being planned for Disney Plus.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is scheduled for release on Friday 5th May 2023. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.