Signed Guardians 2 Zune Up for Charity Auction

James Gunn and the stars of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 have signed a Zune like the one featured in the blockbuster film and are auctioning it off to raise money for a rainforest charity organization. Of course, one of the elements that made both the first Guardians of the Galaxy and Vol. 2 stand out were the soundtracks for the films, each with an "Awesome Mix" of tunes from the 1970s and loaded on a cassette tape Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) could play on his Sony Walkman.

Music-playing technology, as Quill discovered at the end of the Vol. 2, has changed, and to replace his beloved Walkman, Quill's late surrogate daddy Yondu (Michael Rooker) gifted to Peter (though Kraglin) a Microsoft Zune Mp3 player. And while the reference to the now-dated piece of technology initially gave fans a chuckle (but on a deeper level established a similar bond between Yondu and Quill that Quill had with his mom for creating the cassette mixes for her son), those who loved the scene now have a chance to connect with the scene in a special sort of way.

Related: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Video Breaks Down the Zune

In Facebook video posted by Gunn Tuesday, the writer-director announced an eBay auction for a Zune signed by himself, as well as Pratt, Rooker, Kurt Russell, Elizabeth Debicki, Sean Gunn, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, and Dave Bautista (the auction page was later updated to say Zoe Saldana signed the Zune as well). See Gunn's post below:

The filmmaker says 100 percent of the proceeds from the auction will go to benefit the Rainforest Trust, a Virginia-based non-profit conservation organization that works to protect threatened tropical forests and endangered wildlife. According to the auction listing, the trust to date "has protected over 17.6 million acres of tropical habitat across Latin America, Asia and Africa with a goal of protecting a total of 50 million acres by 2020."

In the video, Gunn says he got the idea after noticing Walkman players were going for thousands of dollars on eBay after the success of the first Guardians of the Galaxy (even Walkman headphones were going in the upwards of $800, he notes). So, knowing, he was going to use a Zune in Vol. 2, Gunn says he went on eBay to do some shopping for the Mp3 players. Gunn noted that the Zune up for auction for the Rainforest Trust is in working condition.

As of this writing, there are just under 7 days left in the auction. To sweeten the deal, the Rainforest Trust will match the winning bid, as will Gunn up to $12,000. Gunn did admit, however, that since Rooker was in the room when the cast signed the Zune, it will probably bring the price of the unit down a little bit. (He was joking, of course, about his longtime friend and collaborator.)

It's great to see Gunn, who does a lot of interaction with fans on social media, extend an exciting opportunity like the Zune auction, and better yet, use his celebrity to help make a difference in charity causes. Gunn implied that he bought more than one Zune on eBay prior to the auction, so with any luck, more auctions like this one will be happening in the near future as fans anxiously await the return of the Guardians in Avengers: Infinity War and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.