Although it was already known to be the case (as evidenced by the incredible Comic-Con footage), Marvel Studios has officially announced the start of production on their forthcoming Guardians of the Galaxy. Filming is now underway at the UKs Shepperton Studios.
Directed by James Gunn (Slither, Super) from his screenplay, with a story by Nicole Perlman and Gunn, the film will introduce audiences to a whole new side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The all-star cast includes Chris Pratt (Zero Dark Thirty, Moneyball) as Peter Quill aka Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana (Star Trek Into Darkness, Avatar) as Gamora, Dave Bautista (Riddick) as Drax the Destroyer, Lee Pace (The Hobbit, Lincoln) as Ronan the Accuser, Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead) as Yondu, Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) as Nebula, two-time Academy Award nominee Djimon Hounsou (Amistad, Gladiator) as Korath, with Academy Award winner Benicio del Toro (Traffic) as The Collector, Academy Award nominee John C. Reilly (Chicago) as Rhomann Dey, and six-time Academy Award nominee Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs, Fatal Attraction) as Nova Prime.
Marvels Guardians of the Galaxy is slated for an August 1, 2014 release in the U.S.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige is producing the film. The executive producers are Louis DEsposito, Victoria Alonso, Jeremy Latcham, Alan Fine and Stan Lee; the co-producer is Nik Korda.
The creative team includes director of photography Ben Davis, BSC (Wrath of the Titans, Kick-Ass), production designer Charles Wood (Thor: The Dark World), BAFTA-nominated Editor Fred Raskin (Django Unchained, Fast Five) and Academy Award-winning editor Hughes Winborne, A.C.E. (The Help, Crash), and Academy Award winning costume designer Alexandra Byrne (Marvel’s The Avengers, Elizabeth The Golden Age). The film will also shoot at Longcross Studios, and locations in and around London.
Marvel Studios last two releases were Marvels The Avengers and Iron Man 3, which are the #3 and #5 highest grossing films of all time and the two highest-grossing films ever released by the Walt Disney Company. The two films are the #1 and #2 all-time domestic 3-day weekend box office record holders at $207.4 million and $174.1 million respectively. The studios upcoming release schedule includes Thor: The Dark World on November 8, 2013, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier on April 4, 2014.
