Late last month, we learned that John C. Reilly had been offered a role in Marvel’s upcoming superhero film Guardians of the Galaxy.  Well now it appears that Reilly will indeed be joining the Marvel universe, as Deadline reports that Reilly has officially signed on to play Ronan the Accuser in the James Gunn-helmed film.  In the comics, Ronan is a member of the alien race the Kree and has been portrayed as both villainous and noble at different times.  The character possesses superhuman strength and speed, and wields a long hammer-like weapon called the “Universal Weapon,” which can do considerable damage.  Ronan has also been portrayed as the son of Thanos in the comics, so it’s possible that Reilly will also play a large role in future Marvel films should the studio decide to tie his character into the big baddie that was gleaned at the end of The Avengers.

Reilly joins a truly exciting ensemble for Guardians of the Galaxy that includes Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, David Bautista, Glenn Close, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, and most recently Benicio Del Toro.  Production begins very soon in London in anticipation of an August 1, 2014 release date. [Update: Deadline has corrected its report to note that Reilly will be playing Rhomman Dey in the film, not Ronan the Accuser.]