Guardians Vol. 2 Director Reveals How Many Actors Were Up For The Role Of Ayesha

02/05/2017 09:28 pm EST

During the Super Bowl fans got their first glimpse of Guardians Of The Galaxy villain Ayesha (played by Elizabeth Debicki). That's a big enough deal in and of itself but turns out Debicki was just as impressive in her audition for the role.

On a recent Facebook Live, director James Gunn talked about the villain's debut, and that Debicki held rather exclusive company in auditioning for the part.

"We also get a first glimpse at Ayesha, played by the wonderful Elizabeth Debicki, who you might know from The Night Manager for instance. She is a fantastic actress, uh, it was a very interesting thing with Elizabeth. She came in and auditioned, Ayesha, and she was so incredibly perfect, that I only auditioned one other person who was also amazing, and I won't say who that is but I only auditioned two people for Ayesha because Elizabeth came in and she was born to play this role. It's very much how I felt about Dave Bautista in the role of Drax or how I felt about Pom Klementieff in the role of Mantis. It's like these people were born to play those roles, and nothing is more exciting than finding those types of casting choices and finding those actors out there."

Set to the backdrop of 'Awesome Mixtape #2,' Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team's adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill's true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes' aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is written and directed by James Gunn (Slither). The film marks the return of the original Guardians, including Chris Pratt (Jurassic World) as Peter Quill/Star-Lord; Zoe Saldana (Star Trek Into Darkness) as Gamora; Dave Bautista (Spectre) as Drax; Vin Diesel (Furious 7) as the voice of Groot; Bradley Cooper (American Sniper) as the voice of Rocket; Michael Rooker (Jumper) as Yondu; Karen Gillan (The Big Short) as Nebula; and Sean Gunn (Gilmore Girls) as Kraglin. New cast members include Pom Klementieff (Oldboy), Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby, Everest), Chris Sullivan (The Knick, The Drop) and Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight, The Thing).

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is scheduled to hit theaters on May 5, 2017.

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