The Marvel machine continues to roll on, with Iron Man 3 wrapped, Thor: The Dark World finishing shooting and Captain America: The Winter Soldier set for production next year. Aside from those sequels, we’ve got a new superhero-filled property hitting theaters with James Gunn‘s Guardians of the Galaxy. We’ve already got a writer in the form of Chris McCoy, but today we have an update on some potential leads.

According to Deadline, the studio is looking at a number of male actors for the leader of the group of Peter Quill, the U.S. pilot who ends up in space in the middle of a universal conflict and goes on the run with futuristic ex-cons who have something everyone wants. Conceived by an alien dad and human mother, this test list includes Joel Edgerton (Zero Dark Thirty, Animal Kingdom) Boardwalk Empire and Not Fade Away‘s Jack Huston, Cloud Atlas and Across the Universe star Jim Sturgess, Lee Pace (The Fall, The Hobbit and Lincoln) and lastly, Les MiserablesEddie Redmayne.

Also in the batch of interest, but to a lesser extent are Garrett Hedlund, James Marsden and Sullivan Stapleton. Yours truly hasn’t experienced a lick of the comic books this one is based on, but judging from pure talent alone, Edgerton and Pace would be my top choices. Some others could certainly use the exposure, including Stapleton and Huston, but based on the character description, I’m not sure I see the former in the role. Anyways, we’ve got a long way until one is cast, but it’s a strong batch of names for now.

Guardians of the Galaxy is scheduled to hit theaters in August of 2014.

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