Guardians of the Galaxy Officially Begins Production

Guardians of the Galaxy

, which has been in active production including makeup tests and shooting test footage for a while now, officially launched principal photography today, according to Walt Disney Studios. Marvel Studios has started shooting at the UK's Shepperton Studios.  Directed by James Gunn from his screenplay, with a story by Nicole Perlman and Gunn, the film will introduce audiences to a whole new side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  The cast includes Chris Pratt as Peter Quill aka Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser, Michael Rooker as Yondu, Karen Gillan as Nebula, two-time Academy Award nominee Djimon Hounsou as Korath, with Academy Award winner Benicio del Toro as The Collector,  Academy Award nominee John C. Reilly as Rhomann Dey, and six-time Academy Award nominee Glenn Close as Nova Prime. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is slated for an August 1, 2014 release in the U.S.

Marvel Studios' President Kevin Feige is producing the film.  The executive producers are Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Jeremy Latcham, Alan Fine and Stan Lee; the co-producer is Nik Korda. The creative team includes director of photography Ben Davis, BSC, production designer Charles Wood, BAFTA-nominated Editor Fred Raskin and Academy Award-winning editor Hughes Winborne, A.C.E., and Academy Award winning costume designer Alexandra Byrne.  The film will also shoot at Longcross Studios, and locations in and around London. Marvel Studios' last two releases were Marvel's The Avengers and Iron Man 3, which are the #3 and #5 highest grossing films of all time and the two highest-grossing films ever released by the Walt Disney Company.  The two films are the #1 and #2 all-time domestic 3-day weekend box office record holders at $207.4 million and $174.1 million respectively.  The studio's upcoming release schedule includes Thor: The Dark World on November 8, 2013, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier on April 4, 2014.