Production is currently underway in London on director James Gunn’s Marvel film Guardians of the Galaxy, and all signs point to this one being quite the standout in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Gunn has assembled a cast that is as eclectic as it is surprising, with Chris Pratt leading an ensemble that includes Glenn Close, Benicio Del Toro, Zoe Saldana, David Bautista, and Lee Pace.  We learned yesterday that Bradley Cooper is in early talks to voice Rocket Raccoon, and Vin Diesel may or may not be portraying the talking tree Groot.

The footage we saw at Comic-Con promised a subversive and very funny Guardians film, and now Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has offered up some tantalizing details about the pic, including the identity of the film’s main villain, the role of Thanos in the pic, and when the film takes place in relation to the other Phase Two movies.  Hit the jump to read on.

Speaking with Empire Magazine (via CBM), Feige confirmed that Lee Pace’s Ronan the Accuser is the primary villain in Guardians of the Galaxy, with Thanos playing a role as well:

“Ronan The Accuser is very much the main bad guy. And Thanos is lurking above it all. You will learn more about Thanos in Guardians, for sure. Certainly you’ll get more than the one turn around and smirk. You’ll get much more than that!”

We also have Benicio Del Toro playing The Collector and Michael Rooker playing Yondu, but it appears that Pace will be playing the film’s main baddie.  We haven’t yet heard any casting announcements with regards to Thanos, and I wonder if Gunn might be pulling an Iron Man 3; could one of the aforementioned actors actually be playing the real Thanos? Why else bring Del Toro into the picture?.  That being said, they could also just be waiting to shoot the Thanos scenes towards the end of production.

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Additionally, Feige was asked whether Guardians takes place at the same time as the other Phase Two films:

“The general answer is yes. It’s not exactly revealed what year or month it is in relation to the other Phase Two films. But yes, it’s the same time.”

When asked how connected Guardians will be to the Phase Two films, Feige answered:

“Certainly more than the others. We’ve already said that Thanos plays a part in it and is a character in it. That in and of itself should tell you it’s connected to the other worlds.”

We know that Ultron will be the villain of The Avengers 2, so many are now thinking that Thanos will play the ultimate baddie in The Avengers 3.  Does that mean the Guardians don’t meet up with the other Avengers characters until later in Phase Three?  It’s possible, and we definitely haven’t heard official word that the Guardians play a part in Avengers 2 just yet.  Hopefully we hear more soon.  Guardians of the Galaxy opens in theaters on August 1, 2014.

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