Jim Sturgess And Zachary Levi Vie For Role In Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy'

An impressive group of up-and-coming actors has been circling the next big Marvel comics adaptation "Guardians of the Galaxy." Now Variety is reporting that Jim Sturgess and Zachary Levi are the remaining two contenders for the role of Peter Quill.

The film follows a half-alien half-human pilot who finds himself in space and on the run with a group of ex-cons.

According to the Huffington Post, Sturgess and Levi have beat out the likes of "Not Fade Away" star Jack Huston, "Lincoln's" Lee Pace, and Eddie Redmayne, who can currently be seen in "Les Misérables."

Despite impressive turns in the Beatles musical "Across The Universe," "21," and "Cloud Atlas," Sturgess has yet to become a well-known talent. This is largely due to the fact that much of his work has been a box office disappointment. The actor is set to star in a few low profile projects like Tristan Patterson's "Electric Slide" but a film like "Guardians of the Galaxy" could propel him to superstardom.

Best known for his starring role in the TV hit "Chuck," Zachary Levi has few credits beyond his work on the small screen. In addition to his supporting role in the upcoming "Thor: The Dark World," "Guardians" could launch the start of Levy's film career.

Based on the 1969 comic book by Gene Colan and Arnold Drake, the film is set to be directed by James Gunn, who helmed the little known comedy "Super," starring Rainn Wilson, and directed a portion of the edgy "Movie 43," scheduled to be released in January.

Despite the fact that no actors have officially signed on to star in the film, "Guardians" has a release date in place. The action flick will debut on August 1, 2014. The film marks the first screen adaptation of the popular comic.

There's no doubting that Hollywood is capitalizing on the tremendous success of previous Marvel releases. According to Box Office Mojo, the average gross of a Marvel release is over $179 million. Earlier this year "The Avengers" took in a record-shattering $623 domestically while "The Amazing Spider-Man" earned $262 million. A sequel for each film is currently in the works.

Several other Marvel adaptations are also set to hit the big screen. "Iron Man 3" and "Thor: The Dark World" are slated for release next year while "Captain America: The Winter Solider" and "Ant-Man" will debut in 2014 and 2015 respectively.