'Guardians of the Galaxy': Benicio Del Toro joins the cast

The ever-growing cast of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy has gained another actor. Oscar-winner Benicio Del Toro has signed onto the comic book-based movie. Deadline first reported the news.

Details about Del Toro’s role are being kept under wraps, but he’s reportedly playing a character will appear in future Marvel films. Deadline noted that the Traffic actor has signed a deal with Marvel that includes additional films for the studio.

So who could he be playing? Involvement in future Marvel films seems to point to Thanos, who was revealed briefly in the post-credits sequence of The Avengers and who has appeared in Marvel comic books ranging from Guardians of the Galaxy to Iron Man to Thor to Silver Surfer. The character is a powerful alien fascinated by Death (yes, Death with a capital “D” — he falls in love with the personification of death). On the less-villainous side, there’s the possibility that he’s playing Rocket Raccoon, a key member of the Guardians for which casting has not yet been announced.

Also on board for Guardians of the Galaxy are Glenn Close (Dangerous Liaisons), Zoe Saldana (Avatar), Karen Gillan (Doctor Who), Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies), Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead), mixied martial artist Dave Bautista, and Chris Pratt (Zero Dark Thirty), who plays the lead, Star Lord. James Gunn (Super, Dawn of the Dead) is directing and among the writers working on the screenplay.

Prepping for a late June production start, Guardians of the Galaxy is scheduled for an Aug. 1, 2014 release date.

Follow Emily on Twitter: @EmilyNRome

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