We knew several months ago that production onGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2was set to begin sometime in February, with principal photography taking place in Atlanta. Earlier today,Marvelconfirmed thatprincipal photographyhas started, while the studio also confirmed the long-rumored casting ofKurt Russell, along with two more franchise newcomers, Elizabeth Debicki and Chris Sullivan. Unfortunately, the announcement wouldn’t confirm what characters these new cast members are playing quite yet, but there is speculation thatKurt Russellwill have a pivotal role.
Back in January, a report surfaced that claimedKurt Russellwas being sought to play the father ofChris Pratt’s Peter Quill/Star-Lord, but his character’s identity has still not yet been confirmed. Writer-directorJames Gunnhas said in the past that Peter Quill’s father will not be the same person from the comics, J’son, and that fans will learn the mysterious father’s identity inGuardians 2. The announcement also didn’t reveal who Elizabeth Debicki and Chris Sullivan are playing, but they will be joined by the first new cast member to be added,Pom Klementieff, who has since been confirmed as theMarvelcharacter Mantis.
The original Guardians, includingChris 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 are set to return. Other returningGuardians of the Galaxystars includeMichael Rooker(Guardians of the Galaxy,Jumper) as Yondu;Karen Gillan(Guardians of the Galaxy,The Big Short) as Nebula; andSean Gunn(Guardians of the Galaxy,Gilmore Girls) as Kraglin. Unfortunately, we recently learned that another iconic character from the original movie will not be returning.
Last month,Benicio Del Toro, who played The Collector inGuardians of the Galaxy, confirmed that he will not be reprising his role in the sequel. The news isn’t terribly surprising, especially when you take into consideration that the actor was recently confirmed as one of the new cast members in Disney’sStar Wars: Episode VIII, which also started filming this week. No plot details have been revealed quite yet, but a report from last month claimed that both Yondu and Nebula will be joining the actualGuardians of the Galaxyteam.
Kurt Russellis coming off a strong year in 2015, after starring in the blockbusterFurious 7and a pair of critically-acclaimed Westerns,Bone TomahawkandThe Hateful Eight. The actor is expected to reprise his role as Mr. Nobody fromFurious 7inFast & Furious 8, which is expected to start filming this spring. Who do you thinkKurt Russellis playing inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2? While we wait for more details, take a look at directorJames Gunn’s tweets below regarding this sequel.
