James Gunn Confirms An Eternals Actor Was Almost In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 3

James Gunn has weighed in to confirm that Eternals actor Kumail Nanjiani was originally expected to have a small role in Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3, but that the part was written out when Eternals came up. Originally, one of the Eternals screenwriters had suggested that it was schedule changes and the global covid-19 pandemic that led to Nanjiani being unable to do Guardians, and thus able to appear in Eternals, but according to Gunn, it was simpler than that: Nanjiani's role in Guardians was small and relatively unimportant, so it wasn't nearly enough to prevent the actor from taking a starring role in Eternals. 

The original interview got fans talking about what role Gunn could have wanted Nanjiani for, and Gunn responded. As he did, he also explained that how he understood it wasn't that Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 was ever a serious obstacle to Eternals. 

"From my POV I had written a cameo for my friend [Nanjiani] in Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3," Gunn tweeted. "When Kevin Feige called me and said they had a primary role for Kumail in Eternals, I said of course I'd rather see him do that than my bit. I don't remember it having anything to do with the schedule change."

When pressed by fans, Gunn described the nature of Nanjiani's planned role:

"It was a functional character with a few lines, not based on any established Marvel comics character," Gunn explained. "It was mostly a way for me to hang out with my friend for a couple days on set! It would never in a million years be a role to keep him from doing something sizable."

At the moment, there aren't a lot of details about what to expect from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. One new bit of information that was revealed on Monday as part of the announcement regarding production was that Peacemaker star Chukwudi Iwuji had been brought on in a role that "most every big name actor in Hollywood wanted," though there hasn't yet been any confirmation as to who Iwuji will be playing. Iwuji was featured in the photo Gunn shared, as was Will Poulter, who was previously announced to be joining the film's cast as Adam Warlock.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

is currently set to hit theaters on May 5, 2023.