Before Peacemaker dropped earlier this month, Chukwudi Iwuji wasn’t very well-known outside of theater or British film and TV productions. But his role on the new HBO Max series is giving a major signal boost to his career. Next year, this upswing will continue when he shows up in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Now, we finally know how Iwuji came aboard the long-awaited sequel.
Iwuji discussed how he joined the MCU family during a recent sit-down with The Hollywood Reporter. Apparently, James Gunn extended the invite while he and his Peacemaker castmates were filming the show’s opening dance sequence in the early days of production. Iwuji still had to do a screen test, which notably marked one of the first times that Gunn got to hear his script read out loud. Regardless, he couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the offer.
“I literally went from dancing on the soundstage to James saying, ‘Come over here, I want you to be in Guardians of the Galaxy 3,’” said Iwuji. “And I remember it was one of the few genuine times of my life where I was speechless. I just looked at him and I was like, ‘Um, yes, okay.’ So that’s how he offered it. I mean, we still had to go through Kevin Feige and certain people, but apparently, he’d already spoken to them and they liked the idea of it.”
RELATED: James Gunn Says Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Defies Fan Expectations
Like every other upcoming Marvel project, the story of Guardians 3 is still a closely-guarded secret. Which means it’s going to be a while before we finally learn who Iwuji is playing in the movie. But this didn’t stop him from teasing his character’s identity with a few choice words.
“Powerful,” teased Iwuji. “Extremely powerful. Complex. James and I were talking about it, but he’s certainly one of, if not the most complex characters we’ve seen in the freaking Marvel universe. So he’s deeply complex and deeply powerful, and I hope intriguing. I hope I bring that to it.”
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will hit theaters on May 5, 2023.
Are you excited to see Iwuji appear in the sequel? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 1: Cosmic Avengers
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