On February 17, Marvel announced that principal photography has officially begun on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.
HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW (OR THINK WE KNOW) SO FAR:
- It has been confirmed that Kurt Russell has joined the cast
- Glenn Close will reprise her role of Nova Prime Irani Rael from the first film
- “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” continues the team’s adventures as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage
- Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord., was a womanizing thief when we first met him in Guardians of the Galaxy, but we just may see him transformed into a mature leader. We can expect him to still have deep emotional ties to his dead mother, not to mention that he is hunting for the identity of his real father
- Gamora, whose parents were killed right in front of her by a psychotic alien who raise her as a daughter, will put those dark days behind her. She finds a new family in Peter Quill, Rocket, Drax and Groot. Unfortunately her original “family” will be displeased that she has betrayed them.
- Grott, after being shattered into a million pieces while saving his team, may just be full grown again and ready to perform some fighting for his team.
- Drax the Destroyer, may not be fully satisfied with killing Ronan as revenge and will turn his attention to Thanos.
- Rocket Raccoon will be a part of Guardians of the Galaxy 2, with Bradley Cooper returning to provide the voice.
- Yondu and his crew know the identity of Star Lord’s father so should be a pretty big part of the plot
- Ronan the Accuser = Purple Dust! Yes, some very strange comic book miracle could bring him back but it’s highly unlikely
- Will Thanos play a major role? Could be since both Gamora and Drax have some serious issues with him. (Josh Brolin, who voiced Thanos in Guardian of the Galaxy, has said he would be spending time in 2016 and 2017 playing Thonas)
- Nebula should have much more screen time. Nebula survived her fight with Gamora and should be back to reunite with Thanos.
- The Collector, played by Benicio Del Toro, has been identified as a buyer/museum curator interested in purchasing an Infinity Stone from Gamora. What danger lies in an individual’s attempt to collect all six Infinity Stones? When combined and put into a glove known as the Infinity Gauntlet, the stones provide the wearer god-like powers over all of existence, so why is Taneleer Tiva a.k.a. The Collector interested in completing the collection?
- Will the friendship created between Rhomann Dey and Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy be enough to bring Rhomann Dey back for this sequel?
- The biggest cliffhanger left in Guardians of the Galaxy was the identify of Peter Quill’s father. Even though he thought he was 100% human, the reality is that he is 50% alien. Whoever Star-Lord’s dad is, he’s part of a powerful, ancient race, and is described by Peter’s mom as looking like an angel. The search for Star-Lord’s father will be a major part of Guardians of the Galaxy 2 but may be totally different from the direction of the comics.
- It doesn’t look like Adam Warlock will be included.
MARVEL STUDIOS BEGINS PRODUCTION ON
“GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2”
Marvel Studios has begun principal photography at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, on Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” which is slated to hit U.S. theaters on May 5, 2017. The production will shoot at Atlanta’s Pinewood Studios.
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is written and directed by James Gunn (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Slither”). The film marks the return of the original Guardians, including Chris Pratt (“Jurassic World,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”) as Peter Quill/Star-Lord; Zoe Saldana (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”) as Gamora; Dave Bautista (“Spectre,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”) as Drax; Vin Diesel (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Furious 7”) as the voice of Groot; Bradley Cooper (“Joy,” “American Sniper”) as the voice of Rocket; Michael Rooker (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Jumper”) as Yondu; Karen Gillan (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The Big Short”) as Nebula; and Sean Gunn (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Gilmore Girls”) as Kraglin. New cast members include Pom Klementieff (“Oldboy”), Elizabeth Debicki (“The Great Gatsby,” “Everest”), Chris Sullivan (“The Knick,” “The Drop”) and Kurt Russell (“The Hateful Eight,” “Furious 7”).
Set to the all-new sonic backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” continues the team’s adventures as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage.
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is produced by Marvel Studios’ president, Kevin Feige, with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Jonathan Schwartz, Nik Korda and Stan Lee serving as executive producers.
Director James Gunn’s creative team also includes director of photography Henry Braham (“The Legend of Tarzan,” “The Golden Compass”); production designer Scott Chambliss (“Star Trek,” “Tomorrowland”); editors Fred Raskin (“The Hateful Eight,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”) and Craig Wood (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”); composer Tyler Bates (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “John Wick”); three time Oscar®-nominated costume designer Judianna Makovsky (“Captain America: Civil War,” “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”); Oscar®-nominated visual effects supervisor Chris Townsend (“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Iron Man 3”); stunt coordinator Tommy Harper (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” ); co-producer / first assistant director Lars Winther (“Captain America: Civil War,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”); and six-time Oscar® nominee, special effects supervisor Dan Sudick (“Captain America: Civil War,” “The Avengers”).
The original “Guardians of the Galaxy” was a hit with critics and audiences alike, earning over $770 million at the worldwide box-office, and holds the record as the most successful debut film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition, the film’s soundtrack went platinum and was nominated for a Grammy®.
Based on the Marvel comic characters first published in 1969, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ” continues the lineage of epic big-screen adventures chronicled in “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “The Avengers,” “Iron Man 3,” “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Ant-Man,” and the upcoming release schedule, which includes “Captain America: Civil War” on May 6, 2016; “Doctor Strange,”November 4, 2016; “Spider-Man,” July 7, 2017; and “Thor: Ragnarok” on November 3, 2017.
Marvel Studios continued its unprecedented success in 2015 with the release of “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” At the time of release, the film recorded the second biggest opening weekend of all time with a $191.3 million box office. It has also been the #1 release in every country where it has opened and has grossed over $1.4 billion in global box office. The studio also successfully launched another franchise with “Ant-Man,” starring Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lilly. The film opened #1 at the box office on July 17 and went on to gross more than $519 million at the worldwide box office. The film propelled the Marvel brands’ #1 domestic box-office opening streak to a record-breaking 12 consecutive films.
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information visit marvel.com. ©MARVEL
