Casting for “The Guardians of the Galaxy” continues to shape up with Benicio del Toro being the latest addition to the gang. He’ll be joining Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Michael Rooker, Ophelia Lovibond, John C. Reilly, Enzo Cilenti, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan, and Glenn Close. Pretty impressive so far, no? The addition of del Toro to the mix remains the most intriguing, especially with recent news that he’s signed a deal for multiple movies and he’s expected to be featured in more films within the Marvel universe down the line. So, who is he playing?
Well, according to ComicBookMovie, their source tells them Benicio del Toro has taken the role of Taneleer Tivan, also known as The Collector. Fans with an eagle eye will remember that the role of The Collector was briefly mentioned then sorta scrubbed from trade reports when Lovibond joined the movie (she plays an assistant of sorts to the character), so this is a pretty good guess. At least a bit more reasoned than the prediction of Del Toro playing Thanos, which has been kicked around in some quarters. Anyway, a member of the Elders of the Universe, The Collector is basically the comic book world hoarder of sorts, gathering up artifacts across the galaxy to save them from annihilation, a near-immortal being who has witnessed and even helped take down grand plans to destroy the universe.
This seems a good guess for Del Toro’s part, but what do you think? “Guardians of the Galaxy” is being helmed by James Gunn and will be released in theaters on August 1st, 2014.
