Guardians of the Galaxy is set to enjoy a long run in the MCU, starting with a short July inclusion. Thor: Love and Thunder. After this intergalactic adventure and a few unique entries on Disney+, they will be back for their long-awaited third solo film with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will hit theaters next summer.
After encounters with villains like Lee Pace’s Ronan the Accuser, Kurt Russell’s Ego the Living Planet, and Josh Brolin’s Thanos, the Guardians will have another uphill battle ahead of them this time around. Although the plot behind Guardians 3 remains a secret for the foreseeable future, there are rumors that the next big bad could be the incredibly powerful High Evolutionary.
Behind this performance will be Chukwudi Iwuji, who first worked with director James Gunn during their time together on Peacemaker for Warner Bros. Now, Iwuji looks back on that experience while teasing what fans should be looking for with his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Guardians 3 Villain Actor Teases His Next Role
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director James Gunn took Twitter to share his excitement for Chukwudi Iwuji’s role in the film.
Gunn shared an interview with Discussing Film’s Iwuji, calling his performance “really explosive:”
“Wait until you see Chuk assassinate him in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 with a truly explosive performance.”
In this interview, Iwuji discussed some of the experiences he had with director James Gunn on Peacemakernoting how Gunn “really love the actors” and is always ready to take things in a new direction if needed:
“I certainly assume he likes my job, so that’s a start. I felt like Peacemaker like, ‘They’re going to see through me. I’m going to get fired’ but in the end, I realized that James loves actors. I know it sounds obvious, but it’s not always the case. James really likes actors. He micromanages every step of his work and literally lives the characters he writes. James talks to them out loud as he writes them down. But for all that, I was very conscious in Peacemaker that he is so ready to be surprised and taken to different levels by you [the actor] if you can make it genuine. It gave me such leeway, in the sense of coming on Guardians. The scope of this one was another level above Peacemakerit’s the most important film I can make, it’s as simple as that.”
He went on to praise Gunn for the way he trusts his actors and his willingness to take risks in order for his work to succeed on screen. With Gunn both writing and directing the story, Iwuji sees the film as being “in very good hands” since Gunn works so hard to make sure everything goes smoothly:
“It made me think, ‘Here’s someone who trusts you as an actor, loves it when you bring something more than he ever imagined, and is willing to take big risks. .’ When these factors come into play, you know the world is yours in many ways. It’s as perfect a situation as you want it to be. And because he wrote it, James hopes you can evolve it to the beyond his imagination. When you have a director-writer like that, you’re in really good hands. If you were to refine our process, I’ll do a take, and if he feels like it’s perfect, he will say: ‘Great, now do what you want to want.’ If he feels it’s not quite there, he won’t let me stop until I find it. If he feels it’s there, but there could be something else, we’ll continue. So it’s as rigorous or as smooth as possible. it must.”
Iwuji also noted how much he likes “to be directed” and wants to give his all in his performance, which worked out pretty well with the way he and Gunn like to collaborate together:
“But he knows that I’m an actor who really likes to let go, and I really like to be directed. The number of times in Guardians that we were going to start a scene one way, the way I felt it was written, and at the end of the scene, it would have completely flipped in his delivery because he saw something that I brought. I heard something he directed me that I hadn’t thought of, and then we found a completely new scene. It’s collaboration at its best because it gives me everything I want. I need someone with very strong ideas who will be willing to lead me. But, at the same time, you eat your cake and you also have it because it is someone who also wants to explore. It wasn’t that I was just working for him, although technically I was. We were really collaborating. I felt so proud. There were days when I would go home to my wife, who was with me in Atlanta, and I was so happy. I would say, ‘We found something in the scene together.’ It’s the best feeling you’ve ever wanted to have.”
Guardians 3 Villain brings explosive performance
After playing the mysterious role of Murn in Peacemakerexcitement began to build when he joined the cast of James Gunn’s third Guardians solo movie. This anticipation was further heightened with rumors that Iwuji would bring the High Evolutionary to life, providing the opportunity for the Guardians’ next battle to be as emotionally challenging as it is physically.
The actor himself has already teased how this character will be different from playing Murn on Peacemakerallowing him to tap into another type of “extremism” with such a large scale at stake this time around. While his character and plot details remain a mystery, Gunn’s use of the word “explosive” should indicate just how much of an impact Iwuji will have on the world. Guardians franchise.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be released in theaters on May 5, 2023.