Marvel and writer-director James Gunn (Super) are steadily filling out the cast for the comic book-based space adventure Guardians of the Galaxy, featuring Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) as the human Peter Quill (a.k.a Star-Lord). He will be joined by WWE/MMA actor Dave Bautista, The Walking Dead alum Michael Rooker and the British actress Ophelia Lovibond; meanwhile, Star Trek's Zoe Saladana has essentially locked down the role of the alien Gamora.

We now have another update on the Guardians casting, and it concerns actor Lee Pace. The fan-favorite star of Bryan Fuller's canceled Pushing Daisies TV show - who also had small roles in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2, Lincoln and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey last year (he'll be back in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug this December) - was among the actors who tested for the Peter Quill role.

The Wrap is reporting that Pace has entered final negotiations to play the villain in Guardians, after Marvel was highly impressed with his audition for Star-Lord and kept him in mind for a different role in the film; though, we were rooting for him to play Ant-Man instead, once he was passed over for the lead in Guardians.

The Controller Marvel Comics

While Pace's role is being kept under-wraps for now, we previously reported on a rumor concerning the identity of the antagonist who is featured in Gunn's (not really) Star Wars-ian comic book adaptation; that is, Basil Sandhurst (a.k.a. The Controller) might be the central antagonist in Guardians of the Galaxy.

For those not up on their comic book lore: The Controller is a henchman of Thanos, who (now famously) appeared during the mid-credits scene in The Avengers. The Mad Titan's creator Jim Starlin has suggested that Thanos will be pulling the strings on the Guardians baddie -meaning The Controller would be a logical choice - and that could build up to him becoming a more prominent player in Avengers 2.

Here's a telling excerpt from our Rob Keyes' description of The Controller:

In Marvel Comics, Sandhurst was a human scientist whose unethical methods and bad temper had him blacklisted in the research community. Like many superheroes, Sandhurst became more than a normal person when a lab experiment went awry thanks to his brother.

Guardians of the Galaxy is being rewritten and directed by James Gunn and begins shooting in London this summer. It will be released in 3D.

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Iron Man 3 releases in U.S. theaters on May 3rd, 2013, followed by Thor: The Dark World on November 8th, 2013, Captain America: The Winter Soldier on April 4th, 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy on August 1st, 2014The Avengers 2 on May 1st, 2015, Ant-Man on November 6, 2015, and Doctor Strange sometime after that.

Source: The Wrap