by: S. Scott Stanikmas – Senior Staff Writer

Casting for James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 has produced a couple of juicy tidbits in the last day or so.

Let’s start with the confirmed casting. The Hollywood Reporter says that Pom Klementieff has been cast in an undisclosed role. The part has been described as a “key role” though.

Klementieff is a French actress whose most notable role that American audiences will recognize her from is the Spike Lee remake of Oldboy. She got the role after a series of chemistry reads that say the studio was searching for a specifically Asian actress.

In a piece for the “what-could-have-been” file, Variety reports that Marvel Studios approached Matthew McConaughey to play the villain. Unfortunately the actor passed on the role.

Details on Gunn’s script have been sparse so we don’t know who McConaughey was asked to play. We’ll have a better idea when we see a cast list or get a leaked plot breakdown.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 starts shooting in 2016 for a May 5, 2017 release.