Glenn Close Confirmed For 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' As Nova-Prime

We still don't know who will voice Rocket Raccoon or Groot, the two CG-created team members in James Gunn's comedic sci-fi action film Guardians of the Galaxy. But a press release announcing the start of production (which in reality was more than two weeks ago) Marvel Studios officially announces that Glenn Close is in the film, playing Nova-Prime. That's a confirmation of a report from late this spring, and also an interesting choice as the character is typically male in various comic book appearances.

That said, Nova Prime is really a title, rather than a person. The character is the head of the Nova Corps, as explained by Marvel:

Originally, the Nova Corps was Xandar's space militia and exploration division. It consisted of 500 soldiers ranging in rank from Corpsman up to Centurion and its leader, Centurion Nova Prime. The Corps also had a regiment of Syfon Warriors, of which Powerhouse was one. After the reformation of Xandar, the Nova Corps expanded its protective range to include the entire Andromeda Galaxy and Earth.

So that's a pretty neat choice on Gunn's part. Close can be tough as hell, and is a stellar actress no matter what she does. This is yet another interesting aspect of his approach to putting the Guardians characters on screen.

Here are the relevant bits of the press release, which also explain who some of the heads of technical departments are:

Guardians of the Galaxy," the next epic adventure from Marvel Studios has started shooting at the UK's Shepperton Studios. Directed by James Gunn ("Slither,""Super") from his screenplay, with a story by Nicole Perlman and Gunn, the film will introduce audiences to a whole new side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The all-star cast includes Chris Pratt ("Zero Dark Thirty", "Moneyball") as Peter Quill aka Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana ("Star Trek Into Darkness", "Avatar") as Gamora, Dave Bautista ("Riddick") as Drax the Destroyer, Lee Pace ("The Hobbit," "Lincoln") as Ronan the Accuser, Michael Rooker (AMC's "The Walking Dead") as Yondu, Karen Gillan (BBC TV's "Doctor Who") as Nebula, two-time Academy Award® nominee Djimon Hounsou ("Amistad", "Gladiator") as Korath, with Academy Award® winner Benicio del Toro ("Traffic") as The Collector, Academy Award® nominee John C. Reilly ("Chicago") as Rhomann Dey, and six-time Academy Award® nominee Glenn Close ("Albert Nobbs," "Fatal Attraction") as Nova Prime. Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" is slated for an August 1, 2014 release in the U.S.Marvel Studios' President Kevin Feige is producing the film. The executive producers are Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Jeremy Latcham, Alan Fine and Stan Lee; the co-producer is Nik Korda.The creative team includes director of photography Ben Davis, BSC ("Wrath of the Titans", "Kick-Ass"), production designer Charles Wood ("Thor: The Dark World"), BAFTA-nominated Editor Fred Raskin ("Django Unchained," "Fast Five") and Academy Award®-winning editor Hughes Winborne, A.C.E. ("The Help," "Crash"), and Academy Award® winning costume designer Alexandra Byrne ("Marvel's The Avengers," "Elizabeth The Golden Age"). The film will also shoot at Longcross Studios, and locations in and around London.