GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Set for August 2014 Release

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY has officially received an August 1, 2014 theatrical release date, Disney announced today.

James Gunn will helm the film which tells the tale of Quill, the Guardians leader described as "the offspring of a human mother and an alien father."

Joel Edgerton, Jack Huston, Jim Sturgess, Lee Pace and Eddie Redmayne are reportedly in the running to star in the film. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was originally rumored to be the studio's pick for the lead role, but in the end decided to take a role in the upcoming SIN CITY sequel, instead.

Though Guardians of the Galaxy was originally a 1969 Marvel comic, it was not until the 1990s that it got its own series. Then in 2008, the stories were re-imagined, upon which this film, slated to come out in August 2014, will be largely based. The story is about Peter Quill and his posse of alien superheroes from the future who join forces to protect the solar system from the evil aliens. As is often true of Marvel Comics, the Guardians worked with other Marvel characters, including The Avengers, so there is also speculation as to whether the characters from that recent film will appear in this one as well.

Photo Courtesy of Marvel