Jim-SturgessGuardians of the Galaxy is one of the most interesting projects in Marvel’s upcoming Phase Two. It will be the first original feature of the slate, and will be preceded by Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

We first heard rumours that it was the secret project Marvel were developing back in June, and then a month later the studio confirmed said rumours to be true! And not only that, but a month later once more, and we had James Gunn (Super) in the director’s chair.

Now Deadline are reporting that Marvel have put together a short list for one of the leading roles, Peter Quill, the leader of the Guardians, and the son of a human mother and an alien father.

Included on that list are Jim Sturgess (Cloud Atlas), Joel Edgerton (Zero Dark Thirty), Eddie Redmayne (Les Misérables), Lee Pace (The Hobbit), and Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire).

And there is reportedly also potential interest, either from or in, Garrett Hedlund (TRON: Legacy), James Marsden (X-Men), and Sullivan Stapleton (Animal Kingdom).

Guardians has so much potential to expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we currently know even further, taking it to higher levels of awesomeness, and it’s definitely an exciting prospect to consider.

For my money, I think Jim Sturgess would be an utterly inspired choice.

Cloud Atlas sees him take up the role of a superhero-like figure like you’ve never seen him before, and he utterly excels in the part. Upside Down is set to see him do the same, alongside Kirsten Dunst, and as a huge fan of his work, I would love nothing more than to see him take the lead in Guardians of the Galaxy – and, somewhere down the line, to perhaps team up with The Avengers.

Guardians of the Galaxy is set for release on 1st August, 2014. With that summer release date not too far away, Marvel will no doubt want to get casting sooner rather than later, so hopefully we’ll have a final decision on the role of Quill and more very soon. More as we get it.