Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Star Will Poulter Had No Idea He Was Auditioning for Adam Warlock

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 recently wrapped production, and director James Gunn previously confirmed that this will be the last film to feature the original Guardians crew. Chris Pratt (Peter Quill/Star-Lord), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Dave Bautista (Drax), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Sean Gunn (Kraglin/on-set Rocket), Pom Klementieff (Mantis), Bradley Cooper (Rocket), and Vin Diesel (Groot) are all returning for the film, which is also set to feature some franchise newcomers. New additions to the cast include Chukwudi Iwuji in an unknown role and Will Poulter as Adam Warlock, the character that was teased at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. During a recent interview with The Playlist, Poulter spoke about the audition process and revealed he didn’t know which part he was up for.

“I first auditioned in June of last year [2021], and that was the first time I auditioned, and then I kind of got the role in September, I think,” Poulter explained. “And then started shooting in December… I didn’t know what character, initially, I was auditioning for. I kind of knew sort of closer to the time [of casting] who I was reading for. Although I wasn’t familiar with Adam Warlock beforehand, I was very familiar with Guardians of the Galaxy, and it was kind of my favorite ‘planet’ within the Marvel universe, if you like. I’m just a huge fan of the tone and the creativity and James Gunn’s work and so many of the actors, you know, that I now get to call colleagues, which I’m very grateful for. So yeah, to have any kind of part in that world is very, very cool for me.”

In a recent interview with The Direct, Poulter’s friend and former costar Molly Quinn said Gunn reached out directly to ask what it was like working with Poulter on set. 

“James, he did ask me how my experience working with Will was. I think he asked a couple of other people as well, because James is great and is always checking everyone’s references,” Quinn shared. “He wants to work with his friends, and if he’s working with new people, he wants them to become friends. I only had glowing things to say about Will.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. is set to be released on May 23, 2023. But first, the Guardians will be seen in Thor: Love and Thunder on July 8th and in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special later this year.