Jason Merritt/Tim P. Whitby/Getty ImagesThe Marvel universe is about to get a visit from a Doctor Who alum and a usual suspect.
Karen Gillan, who formerly played the Time Lord's traveling companion Amy Pond in the long-running British TV series, has been cast along with Benicio Del Toro in Marvel's upcoming superhero fantasy Guardians of the Galaxy.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Scottish thesp will play the film's lead female baddie alongside fellow villains Lee Pace and Michael Rooker.
Deadline meanwhile reports that Del Toro's role is being kept under wraps, but his deal includes options to appear in future Marvel movies.
Besides costarring on Doctor Who from 2010 to 2012, the 25-year-old Gillan has starred in the film Not Another Happy Ending and appeared in numerous stage productions. Next up is the indie horror flick, Oculus.
The 46-year-old Del Toro, of course, won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for 2000's Traffic and is currently shooting Paul Thomas Anderson's next picture, Inherent Vice.
The pair are the latest additions to the Guardians cast, which is shaping up to be an all-star affair.
Glenn Close, Chris Pratt, and Zoe Saldana have also been tapped for key parts in the film, which involves some of Marvel's lesser known characters. Those reportedly include Drax the Destroyer, a human resurrected as a green warrior, Gamora, a green-skinned humanoid, and Star-Lord, a half-human/half-alien vigilante.
Guardians of the Galaxy, directed by James Gunn, is set to hit theaters on Aug. 1, 2014.