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Deadline has reported that Borat 2 star Maria Bakalova will play a key role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. She joins fellow cast members Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Dave Batista, Bradley Cooper, Sylvester Stallone, Karen Gillan, Elizabeth Debicki, Will Poulter, Chukwudi Iwuji. It was also recently announced that Suicide Squad actress and newcomer Daniela Melshior will star in the film. Director James Gunn confirmed the news on Twitter, saying:
Yes, yes, yes, okay, I guess I should be surprised that you guys took so long to get this. @MariaBakalova96 is just incredible.
Her role is being kept under wraps for now, but Deadline also revealed that Bakalova is also not the mysterious “unannounced actor” Gunn previously teased. No plot details are available at this time, but Part 3 could be the last installment in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. The series focuses on a group of former intergalactic criminals who form a team of superheroes. The team has been featured in numerous MCU projects, including the first two Guardians of the Galaxy films, as well as Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. The Guardians will also play a supporting role in the upcoming MCU film Thor: Love and Thunder starring Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman.
The Bulgarian actress gained notoriety for her role as Tutar Sagdiyeva, the daughter of the fictional Kazakh reporter Borat Sagdiev, in the mockumentary comedy film Borat 2, which made Maria the first Bulgarian actress to be nominated for Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTAs, Screen Actors Guild of America and Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress, winning the latter award.
Before Borat 2, Bakalova starred in Judd Apatow’s Netflix pandemic comedy The Bubble, as well as the films Women Cry, Last Call, Crime, and Father. She also starred in A24’s Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, which premiered this year at SXSW to rave reviews, and Honeymoon, which she also produced.
Guardians of the Galaxy Part 3 will hit theaters on May 5, 2023.
