Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 has revealed Borat 2 star Maria Bakalova's surprise MCU role in the threequel.
During tonight's (July 23) Marvel Studios panel at Comic-Con where the lucky few in attendance, including Digital Spy, got to see an exclusive trailer, it was confirmed that Bakalova would play Cosmo the Space Dog, who was previously spotted in the Collector's museum in the first movie.
It was also revealed that Peacemaker star Chukwudi Iwuji will be playing the High Evolutionary as many fans had previously speculated.
We've recently seen the Guardians on screen in Thor: Love and Thunder, but fans have had to wait longer than expected for their third adventure. Originally expected in May 2020, the threequel will finally arrive on May 5, 2023.
Earlier this month, Chris Pratt was full of praise for what James Gunn had achieved with the new movie, calling it a "true masterpiece". "It's fantastic. James Gunn just watched a rough assembly the other day," he explained.
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"We Facetimed, and he's very, very proud of the work that everyone's done. He said it's the best work all of us have ever done. He feels very, very confident. The script was amazing."
As well as bringing back all of the Guardians of the Galaxy, the threequel sees Will Poulter play Adam Warlock, with other newcomers including Daniela Melchior and Nico Santos in mystery roles.
Related: Guardians of the Galaxy 3 – everything you need to know
With it now confirmed that he's playing the High Evolutionary, it makes sense that Iwuji previously teased that his character is "extremely powerful".
"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," he noted. "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 is released in cinemas on May 5, 2023.
![Marvel Studios: The Infinity Saga - Collector's Edition [Blu-ray, region-free]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1592930246-51rTY4QSSxL.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Marvel Studios: The Infinity Saga - Collector's Edition [Blu-ray, region-free]")
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
Gabriella Geisinger is a freelance film critic and journalist, with a focus on J-drama & film, and the Japanese production industry. She was previously Locations Editor at Screen International and Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy. Her writing can also befound in Curzon, 1883, and more. A born and raised New Yorker, she loves coffee and the colour black, obviously.
