Les Miz's Eddie Redmayne, Lee Pace & More Battle It Out For New Superhero Film Franchise

After going to battle at the barricades, Les Miserables star Eddie Redmayne could follow his turn as Marius by defending the world in a new superhero flick. The Tony winner is among the leading men Marvel studios is screentesting for their next major action film, Guardians of the Galaxy, according to Deadline.com. In addition to Redmayne, Golden Age and The Normal Heart star Lee Pace and Hairspray film star James Marsden are also said to be in the running for the role of Peter Quill, the half-human/half-alien leader of the Guardians.

Scooby-Doo director James Gunn penned the screenplay and will also direct the film, which is aiming for a 2014 release. The studio is also testing Across the Universe star Jim Sturgess, Joel Edgerton, Jack Huston, Garrett Hedlund and Sullivan Stapleton.

The Guardians of the Galaxy characters first appeared in Marvel comics in 1969, before breaking out in their own series in the 1990s. In the comics, Quill leads a group of alien superheroes who work together to protect the solar system from an evil alien race.