Why James Gunn Ignored All The Fan Casting Picks For Adam Warlock And Chose Will Poulter
When James Gunn first brought the Guardians of the Galaxy to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was only a matter of time before the character of Adam Warlock was brought into the fold. The character was supposed to appear in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," but those plans, fortunately, fell through, paving the way for Will Poulter to age into the correct range to play the character. Fans have speculated the eventual Adam Warlock for years, with plenty fancasting predictions to show for it.
The comics have portrayed Adam Warlock as an otherworldly specimen of masculine perfection, as his artificial genetic structure has given him denser bone and muscle tissue, superhuman abilities, cosmic awareness, and dashing good looks. He's a hunky slice of fried gold, which is probably why fans focused heavily on fantasy booking him with Hollywood A-listers.
Alan Ritchson of "Reacher" fame, Tom Cruise, Charlie Hunnam, Zac Efron, and Alexander Skarsgård were among some of the most commonly cited actors to play the character, with a few inspiring choices thrown in like Cody Fern of "American Horror Story" fame, Jamie Bower, who recently terrorized the world of "Stranger Things," and yes, even Will Poulter. According to a recent interview with Gunn for Empire Magazine, he was definitely aware of the fancasting, but had his reasons for casting the man who was once poised to play Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the "It" films as Adam Warlock.
'He could become this really important character'
James Gunn and Will Poulter have both talked about how this interpretation of Adam Warlock will present him almost like a "malevolent baby," exploring the early days of the character's existence. It seems that this was a major contributing factor to Polter's casting, as Gunn needed to make sure the actor could convincingly evolve over time. As he told Empire Magazine:
"People online were saying, 'Oh, Tom Cruise should be Adam Warlock [...]' I wanted somebody who was youthful, and I wanted the person who had the dramatic chops and the comedic chops, not only for this movie but for what Marvel will use Adam Warlock for in the future. He could become this really important character."
Will Poulter had his breakthrough role as Eustace Scrubb in "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," but his turn as Kenny in the comedy film "We Are The Millers" and the memes that followed, firmly cemented his place as a comedic actor. However, as time went on, Poulter appeared in serious flicks like "Midsommar" and the critically-acclaimed limited series, "Dopesick," more than proving he can thrive in any genre. With Gunn's casting looking toward the future of the character's place in the cinematic universe, it sounds like he made the perfect call. Poulter is young enough to continue to grow with the character but established enough to fit in perfectly with the rest of the heavy hitters in the MCU.
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" arrives in theaters on May 5, 2023.