Director James Gunn revealed that Kumail Nanjiani was set to play a role in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 before he was cast in Eternals.Responding to an interview with Eternals writer Kaz Firpo, Gunn offered more details about Nanjiani's potential role in the Guardians movie. "From my POV I had written a cameo for my friend [Nanjiani] in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. When Kevin Feige called me & said they had a primary role for Kumail in Eternals I said of course I'd rather see him do that then [sic] my bit," Gunn explained in a tweet.
When asked about the type of role Nanjiani was expected to play in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, he added, "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." Nanjiani then jokingly responded to Gunn's tweet, adding, "I'm on my way. I'll wear a big fake mustache. Nobody will know."
In the interview, Firpo confirmed that they immediately thought of the actor for the role of Kingo in Eternals. "We love Kumail -- we love everything he's pretty much done, specifically Silicon Valley, and just what he's up to. We basically pitched the producers right from the beginning, like, 'It's gotta be Kumail,'" he explained. "They were like, 'It can't be, because he's got a role in Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and James Gunn's already written him into it, so he can't do Eternals.'"
Nonetheless, Eternals features Nanjiani in the role of superhero Kingo, who has the ability to use cosmic energy to project explosions and blasts simply by using his hands. While in hiding, the Eternal became a famous Bollywood movie star and dancer.
The film follows a group of immortal beings who come out of hiding following a natural disaster and the return of their enemies called the Deviants. It also features a large ensemble cast, including Game of Thrones' Richard Madden in the role of Ikaris, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Gemma Chan as Sersi and Kit Harington as Dane Whitman. Eternals is in theaters now.
Source: Twitter