‘Guardians Of The Galaxy 2’: Lee Pace’s Ronan Won’t Return
Lee Pacehas gone on record saying he’d “love” to reprise the role of Ronan the Accuser forGuardians of the Galaxy 2. But it doesn’t look likeJames Gunnwill be granting his wish.
The director has confirmed that Pace will not be back for the nextGuardians of the Galaxyadventure — though he isn’t ruling out the possibility of his returning in a future film. Read hisGuardians of the Galaxy 2Lee Pace comment after the jump.
Gunn broke the news during a Q&A onFacebook(viaawesomeemergency). The whole thing is worth a look if you’re really into Gunn orGuardians, but the part that caught our eye were the questions about Lee Pace.
The filmmaker is asked two separate times whether Ronan might return. While he’s noncommittal about the possibility of Ronan coming back eventually (“Who knows”), he’s crystal-clear about whether Ronan will be in the nextGuardians of the Galaxy(“But not in 2”).
That’s unfortunate news for Pace, who has sounded eager to return as Ronan. “I love the character,“he said last week. “I’d love to play him again! Who knows!?” Even at the time, though, he acknowledged he’d be “the last person” whether his villainous character might resurface.
The news isn’t terribly surprising. Marvel Studios can create great superheroes in its sleep at this point, but it’s still struggling to craft equally compelling villains. With the rare exception of Loki andmaybethe Winter Soldier, they tend to be one-dimensional figures who lose to the hero in the climactic showdown, and then disappear forever afterward.
Ronan wasn’t any different. Although Pace clearly put a lot of time and effort into the character, Ronan was one of the weaker elements ofGuardians of the Galaxy. Obviously a few people want to see him back — like the two fans above who ask Gunn about Pace’s return — but personally, I can’t say I’ll miss him much.
In any case, there’s no need to cry for Pace as he’s doing just fine. His AMC seriesHalt and Catch Firereturns this year for a second season, and he has a handful of big-screen appearances coming up including the Lance Armstrong biopicIcon.
