Guardians Of The Galaxy was one of the biggest and best surprises of 2014 and saw director James Gunn take a bunch of superheroes relatively unknown to non-comic book fans and propel them into the international consciousness with a movie rich in humor, action and heart. Unsurprisingly, a sequel was quickly to move forward in the form of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - and despite roughly eight months left to wait, excitement is already beginning to build in anticipation for what the next instalment has in store.
One confirmed addition to the cast is renowned acting legend Kurt Russell (Escape From New York, The Thing) who will be playing the estranged father of the Guardian's de facto leader, Peter Quill. Russell's character, also known as Ego, is portrayed in the comic series as an ancient and powerful being and traditionally takes the appearance of a huge 'living planet', rather than a Kurt Russell-shaped humanoid. However his presence in this movie will undoubtedly have a huge impact on both Peter and his fellow Guardians.
Now, Kurt Russell himself is stoking the fires of excitement by teasing the direction Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will be heading. Speaking to Collider at the Toronto International Film Festival, Russell stated:
"It’s a very complex story and they really get into it. This is going to be one of the more—probably for Marvel, it’s more connected to human issues, family issues, parental issues and issues that sons and daughters have with their Moms and Dads and their family tree, where they come from. I just think it’s going to be an interesting— Peter’s character in this one, he’s got dilemmas and he’s got decisions to make that are not just about whether to save that thing or that person. This is about finding out who you are, where you come from, and where you’re going.”
It certainly seems as if Vol. 2 will be heading in a very personal direction and the questions regarding Peter Quill's parentage that were posed in the first movie will clearly be prevalent in the plot this time around, much to most fans' delight. Of course Peter isn't the only Guardian with family issues; both Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Drax (Dave Bautista) have experienced various familial pain. With Gamora's adopted sister Nebula (Karen Gillan) also confirmed to return, it'll be intriguing to see whether the Guardians can stick together when faced with these new, personal challenges.
Heading into a family-centric and 'complex' direction is arguably the best and most logical step for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 to take, in order to further develop the rich characters introduced in the previous film. However, fans will be hoping that this doesn't mean the light-hearted moments and constant wit of the first movie will be missing, as it was these elements that helped the movie stand-out from other MCU offerings.
And with that said, perhaps some fans would prefer Vol. 2 to focus more heavily on the action and humor and further explore the motivations of the ever-present Thanos, rather than heading in a seemingly more complex direction and delving into a 'Daddy issues' storyline. With Gunn at the helm however, and all the familiar faces returning, there's every reason to believe Vol. 2 will be just as stellar as its predecessor.
NEXT: Baby Groot Doesn't Have Groot's Memories
Doctor Strange opens November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man: Homecoming– July 7, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; Avengers: Infinity War – May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel– March 8, 2019; Untitled Avengers – May 3, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on July 12, 2019, and on May 1, July 10, and November 6 in 2020.
Source: Collider