In the first Guardians of the Galaxy, Benicio del Toro stole a few scenes as The Collector, the creepy curator of a museum full of objects and life forms from the Marvel universe. But if you were a fan of the character, we’re afraid we have some bad news for you.
The actor recently spoke with ComingSoon and, when asked if he would be reprising as everyone’s favorite hoarder for Guardians of the Galaxy 2, he said, “I don’t think so … They would have told me, I hope.” del Toro went on to add “I do hope to play that character again at some point.”
Curiously enough, these comments make it sound like he would be willing to return if asked — it just doesn’t sound like he was asked. Which of course would beg the question: Why wasn’t he asked? After all, the character was originally was intended to be a recurring member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Furthermore, this news comes just a few months after his former castmate Zoe Saldana revved up the rumor mill with a video posted to her husband’s (Italian artist Marco Perego-Saldana) Facebook page. In the video, Saldana congratulated del Toro for his performance in Sicario and signed off by saying “see you on Guardians!”
For the moment, unless del Toro drops by the set for a visit, it doesn’t sound like that last bit will come to pass. That said, there’s always the possibility that he has been instructed to keep his involvement under wraps. Perhaps we’ll soon see set photos of del Toro captioned with “The Collector lives!”
Here’s hoping.
Either way, you’ll be able to catch del Toro in Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: Episode VIII in the Summer of 2017. The actor has joined the cast of the follow-up to the highest-grossing film in U.S. history, and is rumored to be playing a new villain.
Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is set to hit theaters May 5, 2017, and stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, and Bradley Cooper.
