Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director James Gunn further debunked rumors that Daniela Melchior will play Moondragon in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster.

Gunn took to Twitter to shoot down claims that recently confirmed cast member Daniela Melchior will portray the telepathic former Avenger, reiterating that this was not the case. He added that he had never lied to fans about the Guardians movies before and never will. When Gunn first denied that Melchior would play Moondragon back in October 2021, he also revealed that the relatively obscure character didn't feature in the script at all.

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The official announcement that Melchior will star in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 follows months of speculation that the Portuguese actor was attached to the production. It's currently unclear who she plays in the movie, however, her role is said to be a small one. Melchior previously collaborated with Gunn on 2021's The Suicide Squad, in which she played Cleo Cazo/Ratcatcher 2. The director recently praised Melchior's performance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and expressed interest in working with her again on future projects.

Melchoir won't be the only fresh face when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 finally arrives in cinemas. Fellow MCU newcomer Will Poulter will portray Adam Warlock, having won the role despite not knowing which Marvel hero or villain he was reading for. "I didn’t know what character, initially, I was auditioning for. I kind of knew sort of closer to the time [of casting] who I was reading for," he recalled, in a recent interview.

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Although the hotly-anticipated sequel introduces several actors to the MCU fold, it will also mark the end of the line for at least one member of the cast. Dave Bautista previously confirmed that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will mark his final appearance as Drax the Destroyer. The former WWE wrestler commemorated the end of principal photography on the film by sharing a photo of himself, Gunn, and his co-stars Sean Gunn, Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan and Pom Klementieff/ The photo was accompanied by a heartfelt message in which Bautista acknowledged that the Drax role had changed his life.

By contrast, Karen Gillan previously confirmed that, unlike Bautista, she's not quite ready to say goodbye to the MCU. The Scottish actor expressed interest in headlining a Nebula spinoff series on Disney+, even encouraging fans to lobby Marvel Studios to make the potential project a reality.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 blasts in theaters on May 5, 2023.

Source: Twitter