Guardians of the Galaxy

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Extremely buff MMA fighter and former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dave Bautista has been cast as Drax the Destroyer in "Guardians of the Galaxy." Rumor had it that Jason Momoa of "Bullet to the Head" and "Game of Thrones" fame would be fighting baddies across the galaxy, but alas, fans of Khal Drogo will have to sit tight for now.

Bautista's character Drax is a bald, green-skinned badass who's died several times in his mission to off Thanos, the shadowy villain seen at the very end of "The Avengers." Bautista is only the second person confirmed for the film, which is in pre-production in London according to director James Gunn's Instagram account. Chris Pratt, the "Parks and Rec" actor who showed off some dramatic chops in "Zero Dark Thirty" last year, is playing Star-Lord/Peter Quill, the half-human/half-alien leader of the gang.

Sadly, Rocket Racoon and Groot will be animated, reportedly a combination of CGI and "rotomation," so moviegoers will be cheated of seeing a real raccoon armed with a tiny gun fighting alongside a tree man.

The last of the Guardians who could be played by an actor is Gamora, the "Most Dangerous Woman in the Universe," who's fighting alongside Star-Lord and the others against her adopted daddy Thanos. There have been various Internet rumors about who's in the running for this cool and coveted role, but that's about all. Given how much chatter there's been about casting Drax and Star-Lord, it's entirely possible that fans have just picked some names out of a hat and gone from there.

"Guardians" is one of the stranger comics in the Marvel universe, and although it has some crossover with "The Avengers," it's not clear if the two streams will cross. Whatever happens, it will definitely be interesting given Gunn's previous output.

If you're dying for a glimpse of Drax in the flesh, you can see Bautista in "The Man with the Iron Fists" and the upcoming "Riddick" this fall.

“Guardians of the Galaxy” is scheduled to hit theaters on August 14, 2014.

[via THR]

RELATED: Who Are the 'Guardians of the Galaxy'?

Earlier on Moviefone:

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