We mean this mostly as a compliment, but the cast of Marvel‘s ambitious space flick “Guardians Of The Galaxy” is starting to feel like it was assembled almost at random. So far, we have a rising comic star whose proven equally adept at dramatic fare on the big screen (Chris Pratt, as Peter Quill/Star-Lord), an actress who’s already a veteran of two massive space franchises (Zoe Saldana, as green-skinned warrior Gamora), a long-time genre heavy (Michael Rooker, as villain Yondu), a wrestler (Dave Bautista, as Drax), an ever-rising young star (Lee Pace, as a bad guy who’ll apparently switch sides), a British actress whose name makes Benedict Cumberbatch seem down-to-earth (Ophelia Lovibond, as an unknown character) and a beloved character actor (John C. Reilly).
And now, they have a bona-fide Oscar-nominated legend to join them, as Deadline reports that Glenn Close is set for a role in the movie. While there’s no word on her exact role, she’s apparently going to play a higher-up in Marvel’s space police, the Nova Corp, a role that’s been compared to ‘Guardians” version of Samuel L. Jackson‘s Nick Fury in “The Avengers” movies. And with Deadline confirming Reilly’s participation, that would seem to point to Close taking the role that was recently rumored to be targeting the likes of Alan Rickman, Hugh Laurie and Ken Watanabe. So good on director James Gunn for going gender-blind on this one.
Close has spent the last few years principally appearing in indies and on TV (most notably on “Damages“) — it’s been nine years since her last studio picture, “The Stepford Wives.” But the six-time Oscar nominee is always a welcome presence, and seems to fill the now-traditional Anthony Hopkins/Tommy Lee Jones/Robert Redford slot of a screen legend getting to let their hair down and have a little fun among the spandex. The film’s gearing up to shoot in London in the near future, though there are a few major roles still to be cast, in the shape of gun-toting rodent Rocket Raccoon and walking tree Groot. So yeah, Glenn Close is going to be sharing screen time with a raccoon and an animate plant. “Guardians Of The Galaxy” opens on August 1st, 2014.