James Gunn Says He Had a Major Star in Mind to Play the High Evolutionary in GOTG Vol. 3 Before He Met Chukwudi Iwuji

James Gunn is now the head of DC films, but before he made the leap, he completed his GOTG trilogy with the final film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It was a great wrap to the franchise, and it included a phenomenal cast, both returning and new. One of those newcomers included actor Chukwudi Iwuji, who played the absolutely abhorrent and cruel villain, The High Evolutionary.

While Iwuji ended up being the only actor who read for the role, he wasn’t the first actor Gunn had in mind when selecting who would play the part. In the commentary track for the film (via ComicBook), Gunn revealed that he almost offered the role of the High Evolutionary to an established star who was big enough that they would not have had to audition for the part. The role was of interest to many Hollywood stars, and Gunn says he had one in mind, though he doesn’t give up the name.

That is, until he saw Chukwudi Iwuji in action on the set of his series Peacemaker. According to Gunn, it didn't take long to see that Iwuji was a remarkable actor, and someone he wanted to bring on board as the High Evolutionary. All he had to do was sell it to MCU boss Kevin Feige.

"A lot of really big-name actors wanted to play the High Evolutionary. I almost offered it...this was going to be a big enough name that they wouldn't have auditioned. I almost offered this role to a big-name actor, and then I met Chuk on the set of Peacemaker, and he just really was such an amazing actor. He's a theatrically trained actor, does a lot of Shakespeare, he's done a lot of theater in New York, that's his background. But I loved working with him so much, I loved him so much as a human being that I really wanted to give him an opportunity. So I called up Kevin Feige, I said, 'I've got this guy, this is who he is, I think he's really incredible, I think we should give him a chance.' So we did a screen test with him. We tested him -- he's the only person who tested, the only person who read for the role, and it was just this incredible audition, and that was how he got the role."

Gunn said he also got to reveal the news to Iwuji on the day they filmed the opening dance sequence for Peacemaker, an anecdote that the actor has shared before. However, Iwuji remembers it slightly differently -- that he was pitched on the role during the dance sequence, but didn't know he had it for sure until later. He previously explained to comicbook:

"He said it on that day, and I've never been so surprised in my professional life like that. That's how he pitched it to me, and a few weeks later we did a screen test and sent it over to the big man Kevin Feige, and Kevin said 'Yeah, that's the guy.' So that's how it happened. I feel very blessed."

He was great in the role. Very unlikeable, but that just means he did the job well. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is available now on digital on demand platforms. It comes to Blu-ray and DVD this August.