Eternals’ Kumail Nanjiani Almost Joined Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Kumail Nanjiani recently made his MCU debut in Eternals, playing Kingo. Nanjiani never hid his desire to star in a Marvel movie, and that wish was almost granted even before Eternals was even announced.
Writer and director of Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, James Gunn revealed that he wrote a small role for Nanjiani when he was writing a first draft of the script, back when Eternals wasn’t even announced and it was expected that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be released a lot sooner, before the whole thing with Gunn’s firing and then rehiring him a year later happened.
“From my POV I had written a cameo for my friend [Nanjiani] in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. When Kevin Feige called me and said they had a primary role for Kumail in Eternals, I said of course I’d rather see him do that than my bit.”
Gunn also revealed what role he initially wrote for Nanjiani in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3:
“It was a functional character with a few lines, not based on any established Marvel comics character. It was mostly a way for me to hang out with my friend for a couple days on set! It would never in a million years be a role to keep him from doing something sizable.”
Of course, with all of them working at Marvel now, there could be a way that Gunn and Nanjiani could work together on a project. Nanjiani’s character Kingo said in Eternals that he met Thor once, and who knows who will Eternals meet in the future of MCU, in front and behind the camera.
Eternals is now playing in theaters, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 recently started production, with the release date set for May 5, 2023.