Will Poulter initially didn’t know he was in the running to be Adam Warlock when auditioning for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Fresh off of Warner Bros./DC Films’ The Suicide Squad and HBO Max’s Peacemaker, writer and director James Gunn is now working with Disney/Marvel Studios to complete his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and Vol. 3 will see Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, and Sean Gunn all reprise their roles as the Benatar’s titular crew of misfits.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’s post-credits scene saw the Sovereign High Priestess Ayesha reveal a cocoon, teasing the introduction of the cosmic hero Adam Warlock. Being that this was before Avengers: Infinity War (2018), many viewers thought the character could play a role in the Infinity Saga as he did in the comics. However, this turned out not to be the case and Gunn’s brief firing delayed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3—which was originally positioned at the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 4. Regardless, the news that Detroit star Poulter was officially cast as Warlock broke last October. Now, Poulter has opened up about auditioning for his very secretive role.
In a recent interview for The Playlist, Poulter opened up about his exciting role and shared a characteristically Marvel story about how he was cast for the part. According to the actor, he did not know he was actually auditioning to play Adam Warlock until the end of the casting process. Read the full quote below:
"I first auditioned in June of last year [2021], and that was the first time I auditioned, and then I kind of got the role in September, I think. And then started shooting in December…I didn’t know what character, initially, I was auditioning for. I kind of knew sort of closer to the time [of casting] who I was reading for. Although I wasn’t familiar with Adam Warlock beforehand, I was very familiar with Guardians of the Galaxy, and it was kind of my favorite ‘planet’ within the Marvel universe, if you like."
Marvel Studios is notoriously very careful about not revealing major details about their projects, often telling actors half-truths during the audition process so that nothing leaks. This has been the case for projects like Spider-Man: No Way Home, Moon Knight, and, more recently, Xochitl Gomez's experience auditioning to play America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Although, Gomez has admitted to being able to work out the film she was auditioning for because there was a reference to a sorcerer. Based on Poulter’s story, all the actor knew was he was auditioning for Gunn’s MCU finale—which would be enough to pique the interest of pretty much any working thespian.
Aside from detailing his strict diet and workout regime, Poulter has been very careful not to reveal much about Adam Warlock’s role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It’s still unclear whether the cosmic-powered character will serve as a friend or foe to Star-Lord and company. However, Gunn has had nothing but good things to say about Poulter’s performance, which is sure to set Adam Warlock up for future MCU projects. That said, production officially wrapped on the film earlier this month, bringing an end to, at the very least, Bautista’s tenure in the MCU. What Vol. 3 means for the rest of the Guardians and Adam Warlock will be revealed the film opens in theaters on May 5, 2023.
Source: The Playlist
