The badass meter just shot up on GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY as another member of the squad has been cast. Fresh off his stint as Merle Dixon on THE WALKING DEAD, the one and only Michael Rooker will join the superhero team as Yondu. Rooker will join the already cast Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, and Zoe Saldana in the James Gunn directed movie.
For those of you still playing catch-up regarding the team members of the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, here is a brief summary cobbled from Wikipedia:
Yondu Udonta is a member of the Zatoan tribe, primitive beings native to Centauri IV. He functions as a hunter. His homeworld was the first planet to be colonized by humans that was outside Earth’s solar system. Yondu is born in the late thirtieth century. Yondu’s people had fled from contact with overwhelming earth colonizers who had begun arriving in 2940 A.D. Yondu possesses no superhuman physical powers, but is a natural mystic, like his entire tribe. As a member of the alien race of the planet Centauri IV, Yondu possesses an intuitive mystical “sixth sense” perception that permits him limited empathic relationships with other lifeforms. The higher the lifeform, the more limited is his empathic potential.
Yondu was a founding member of the Guardians and has had significant run ins with Captain America and Thor. From the sounds of this version of the team, James Gunn is really pulling together characters who tie in with existing Marvel movie heroes. I love this casting as Rooker has been a favorite of mine going all the way back to HENRY: PORTRAIT OF SERIAL KILLER. Usually painted more as a villain or an anti-hero, Rooker is not often used enough in roles like this. The last time I remember him really playing any kind of hero was in CLIFFHANGER alongside Sylvester Stallone. With fans forging a love-hate relationship with him on THE WALKING DEAD, his popularity with the target audience for a movie like this is perfect.
I wonder if Rooker will be playing a CGI enhanced role or will be bulking up himself. Either way, Rooker included is a big plus for me. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY will hit theaters on August 1, 2014.
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