In just a couple of months, Marvel will begin its onslaught of 2017 films. With Fox's Logan already being hailed as one of the best films in the superhero genre, the MCU has a tough path ahead if it plans on winning the year. Marvel's best bet, however, may just be Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The first Guardians took everyone by surprise, becoming a massive hit and earning Marvel big bucks at the box office. With the hotly-anticipated sequel still two months out, projections have already pegged the tentpole to pull in over $150 million on its opening weekend.
Part of the excitement is due to the return of all of our favorite characters. Each Guardian is said to be getting their own distinct arc, signaling a film much more focused on telling a self-contained story than building out a shared universe. But it won't just be the familiar faces leading Guardians 2. Despite early claims from director James Gunn that only two new characters would be added to the movie, not a week goes by it seems where we don't learn of a new casting addition. Aside from the returning players, big names like Kurt Russell have been added. Russell will be playing Ego the Living Planet, better known as Peter Quill's father.
Meanwhile, everyone from Sylvester Stallone to Rob Zombie have been given mystery parts in the movie. While their roles are unknown, a new interview with Gunn (h/t CBR) reveals that Stallone won't be alone. While appearing on the Adam Corolla podcast, Gunn revealed that along with Stallone having a sizable role, Michael Rosenbaum is also playing a key Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 character. Apparently, Stallone and Rosenbaum will be sharing the screen together, and their characters may be tied to Marvel comics lore.
Most people will remember Rosenbaum from his many seasons of playing Lex Luthor on Smallville. While he's had a number of roles since then, he's still one of the definitive portrayals of Lex to many DC fans. This isn't his first attempt to cross over into the Marvel universe either, Back before Chris Pratt was cast as Quill, Rosenbaum was in the running for the role. It looks like Gunn was keen on him, and found a way to bring the actor into the fold.
There's no word yet on who he may be playing, but in the interview Gunn promised a number of the new Guardians 2 characters will have ties to the Marvel comics. We recently learned that, unsurprisingly, Guardians 2 will have a post-credits scene. It could be possible that Rosenbaum and Stallone appear in the scene as these key characters from the comics to set up the recently-confirmed Guardians 3. Either that, or the tag could somehow tied into Avengers: Infinity War. We know the Guardians will be a central part of the conflict with Thanos, so it'd make sense to tee up their arrival at the end of the new movie.
With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 right around the corner, we'll likely learn a lot more about it in the coming weeks.
NEXT: Everything We Know About Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (So Far)
Source: CBR
