A group of actors have been announced that Marvel Studios will test for the lead in their upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy feature.

The list includes Joel Edgerton, Jack Huston, Jim Sturgess, Lee Pace, and Eddie Redmayne.

The movie is currently slated for release on August 1, 2014, and will be directed by James Gunn (Slither, Super).

These gentlemen will be testing for the role of Peter Quill, the leader of the Guardians, who comes from a human mother and an alien father. This doesn’t necessarily mean that any of these names will score the part, either; it just means that they’re testing. And we’ve also seen actors testing for a certain role end up playing a different role, so that’s something to watch for as well.

The group of actors are all talented young stars, with Edgerton and Sturgess perhaps being the most recognizable of the bunch. Edgerton has starred in movies like Warrior and The Thing, and will be appearing in Kathryn Bigelow’s Osama Bin Laden movie, Zero Dark Thirty. Sturgess is best known for his roles in films such as Across the Universe, 21, and One Day, most recently appearing in Cloud Atlas.

Huston has made himself known for his incredible work playing Richard Harrow on the HBO Prohibition drama Boardwalk Empire. Pace has appeared in the short-lived TV series Pushing Daisies and the Tarsem Singh film The Fall, and more recently in Lincoln and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, with a role as Thranduil in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy upcoming.

Lastly, Eddie Redmayne has had roles in The Good Shepard and Elizabeth: The Golden Age, but has shined with his work on the fantastic miniseries The Pillars of the Earth, My Week With Marilyn, and will soon be seen in the anticipated new film version of Les Miserables.

Who do you want to see cast in Guardians of the Galaxy?

Source: Deadline]