‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’ Enlists Will Poulter as Adam Warlock

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has found its Adam Warlock. Will Poulter will play the classic Marvel character in the upcoming Marvel Studios sequel.

James Gunn is writing and directing the project, which has a release date of May 3, 2023, and is gearing up for production. Guardians of the Galaxy mainstays Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista and Karen Gillan are returning.

According to sources, a number of actors have been in contention for the role since at least late August, with Bridgerton breakout Regé-Jean Page considering it and 1917‘s George MacKay on the shortlist.

“Welcome to the Guardians family, Will Poulter. He’s an amazing actor and wonderful guy. See you in a couple weeks,” Gunn tweeted after news of the casting broke.

A post-credits scene in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 teased Warlock’s addition to the MCU. Warlock’s origins date back to 1967’s Fantastic Four Nos. 66 and 67, with Jack Kirby and Stan Lee creating the character. The two-part storyline centered on evil scientists using cloning and genetic modification to create the perfect human being, with the character referred to only as Him. Writer and artist Jim Starlin revived the character in 1975 and later brought the character to new levels of popularity by using him in his 1990s Infinity Gauntlet trilogy and putting him into books such as Warlock and the Infinity Watch, where he served as a wise defender of reality itself.

Poulter is known for his work in The Revenant, Detroit and The Maze Runner, and can be seen in the Hulu drama Dopesick, which debuts Oct. 13. He is repped by WME.

Deadline first reported the news.

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