James Gunn Debunks Rumors of Zac Efron Joining Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

In response to a report from The Illuminerdi that originally stated James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was currently casting for Adam Warlock, the filmmaker responded on Twitter confirming that “there is no casting underway for Vol. 3.” Gunn also addressed the outlet reporting that “Marvel is looking to cast a thirty-year-old Caucasian man, who is described as both a ‘super hero type’ and a ‘Zac Efron type’ as Adam Warlock.”

“In what world would I only cast a ‘Caucasian’ if the character has gold skin? And if I wanted a Zac Efron type wouldn’t I go to Zac Efron?” Gunn said in a Tweet, which you can view below.

There is no casting underway for Vol. 3. And in what world would I only cast a “Caucasian” if the character has gold skin? And if I wanted a Zac Efron type wouldn’t I go to Zac Efron? Where do you get this nonsense? https://t.co/dxZJUMvtVs

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) March 10, 2021

Adam Warlock was introduced at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 when Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), the Golden High Priestess of the Sovereign created Adam using an advanced birth pod to help her destroy the Guardians of the Galaxy. The character was originally created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and was further developed by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane in the Marvel Comics.

The space-traveling team was most recently seen in the box-office breaking Avengers: Endgame and while their next solo adventure doesn’t have an official release date, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is expected in 2023, written and directed by Gunn. According to TheWrap, Guardians of the Galaxy stars Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, and Karen Gillan recently filmed in Australia for Thor: Love and Thunder.

The first Guardians of the Galaxy was the surprise hit of the second phase in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, grossing nearly $775 million at the box office and earning widespread critical acclaim for its abundance of humor, emotional story and Gunn’s direction, in addition to its soundtrack becoming the first album of its genre consisting of previously released songs to top the Billboard 200 chart and having sold over 2.5 million copies in 2014 alone. The second film hit theaters three years later and prove to be a near equal success to its predecessor, grossing over $800 million at the box office and earning more acclaim from critics and audiences who continued to praise the performances, direction, soundtrack and story while some criticized a feeling of familiarity in some of the film’s humor.

(Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)