James Gunn Clarifies Nathan Fillion's (Non-)Role in 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'
Nathan Fillion is a fanboy favorite, thanks in large part to his starring role on Joss Whedon’s much-beloved sci-fi TV series Firefly. He also has a long-standing relationship with Guardians of the Galaxy’s writer/director James Gunn, having headlined his 2006 monster movie Slither alongside Guardians’ Michael Rooker. Fillion even made a brief cameo in Guardians as an alien. Now, he’s shared a photo on Instagram of himself, in costume, on the set of Vol. 2 — but as his post makes clear, you won’t see this moment in the final cut.
A post shared by Nathan Fillion (@natefillion) on Apr 20, 2017 at 9:45am PDT
In the above snapshot, Fillion sports some fake locks and a ridiculous outfit while manning the cockpit of a spaceship. His accompanying message suggests it’s from a scene that didn’t make it into the theatrical version of the film:
“From a scene you won’t see in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. Is the movie still spectacular without it? Yes.”
Earlier, speculation based on behind-the-scenes photos from the set fueled rumors that Fillion might turn up in Guardians 2 as Wonder Man (a.k.a., Simon Williams), who in the Marvel universe has been, among other things, a member of the Avengers and an actor. Fillion’s Instagram post seemed to be supporting evidence — and spurred fans to wonder why his role had been cut.
This morning, Gunn took to Twitter to clear it all up. When asked “Why @JamesGunn? Why would you cut @NathanFillion’s #GotGVol2 cameo?!” The director responded:
For the record, that was never a scene in the movie – that’s simply @NathanFillion clowning around on set. https://t.co/o3oRI3O3xw
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 21, 2017
Gunn then responded to a follow-up question: “He plays simon williams as an actor so chances are there are some movie within movie clips of him? @JamesGunn”
. @NathanFillion was Simon Williams in some movie POSTERS in a scene cut from the movie. It was a way to have fun with one of my best pals. https://t.co/aueWcm88zb
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 21, 2017
When another fan weighed in on the discussion: “Wrong James, this guy knows more than you do about your film. Just admit it.” Gunn understood why fans might have drawn some erroneous conclusions:
I get why he thinks that! Lots of online articles said that’s who Nate was playing. They extrapolated big conclusions from sleight evidence https://t.co/gBafbUY6f5
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 21, 2017
When asked: “So does that make him Simon Williams in the MCU — or since it was cut, it technically didn’t happen?” Gunn replied:
I think we’ll have to wait and see ???? (and I love Wonder Man also, and @NathanFillion) https://t.co/jfn21lu8k4
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 21, 2017
And then to this follow-up: “Fair enough — but in that photo — is Nathan playing Simon, playing Arkon?” Gunn replied:
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 21, 2017
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 — without Nathan Fillion, but now with his official Instagram endorsement — blasts into theaters on May 5.
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