In an effort to increase local casting efforts for its 8-year slate of Atlanta-based production, Marvel Films has cast newcomer Tony Grillo as “The Purple Man” in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy sequel. In a surprising announcement this week, director James Gunn confirmed that the classic villain will in fact be revealed as Star Lord’s long lost father.
The sequel, tentatively titled Guardians 2: Rise of The Purple Man, reportedly opens with the wedding of Peter Quill (the identity of the bride remains a mystery). When Star Lord’s evil deadbeat dad crashes the wedding with a warning to all mankind, it sets into motion the plot that sends the Guardians across the galaxy in a race against time.
In the months since news broke that Star Lord’s father would not, in fact, be J’son of Spartaxx (Emperor of the galaxy) as in the Comic Book storyline, speculation has run rampant as to which famous Marvel Character would take his place. Many had hoped it would be Galactus, Eater of Worlds, or Thanos, father of Gamora, the Guardians’ titular green warrior (Zoe Saldana). Marvel’s announcement that The Purple Man would fill the patronly void had fan sites everywhere alive with negative comments.
Upon news that the pivotal role would go to Grillo, an Atlanta-based animator with little acting experience, rumors circulated that Chris Pratt and other cast members would boycott the production. Pratt’s agent has declined to comment on the subject, saying only that Pratt was “committed to creating the best sequel possible”.
The Purple Man, veteran Antagonist of the Daredevil Comic Series (and widely regarded as one of the worst Marvel Villains of all time), will reportedly cross over into the Guardians Universe for the second and third installments. It is unclear how large a role he will play, aside from his catalyst appearance in Guardians 2.
In a statement accompanying the announcement, Gunn says “Any major casting decision is going to meet with a certain amount of backlash – it happened with Affleck as Daredevil, it happened with Eric Bana as the Hulk. Those films are regarded as masterpieces, so I’m pretty confident in our decision to cast Tony in this crucial role.”
Grillo could not be reached for comment, but issued a statement on his blog that stated only: “April Fools”.