So far the marketing for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has been very successful in building hype for the much-anticipated sequel. There's only been one full trailer, but a mix of online teases and TV spots have got everyone talking about the return of Star-Lord and co.
Much has been made about how light on plot they are, instead choosing to build on the unique tone of the first film. This is most obvious with the music, continuing the original's penchant for 1970s hits, and also in the irreverent humor, with the team's mainstream success doing nothing to calm the silliness.
However, don't be surprised if you don't get to see all of those great trailer moments on the big screen when the film's released in May. Responding to questions on Twitter, director James Gunn's revealed that several elements are purely being included for marketing purposes. First up, he stated that while all the songs used so far were all from his shortlist, not all of them made the final cut:
All of them are from my short lists for songs I'd LIKE to fit in the movie. But not all of them are in the movie... https://t.co/NsV4n93rRG— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) February 12, 2017
This is very common practice in trailer making. In fact, Guardians is in the minority in how you can actually expect a trailer song to be in the finished film - most use it for a simple tone setter. Look at Suicide Squad's excellent trailer run (which seems to have been inspired by the original Guardians) - although music played a big part in the film's overall aesthetic, the trailer tracks weren't all used.
Still, this does put into question what's actually going to be in the film's Awesome Mix Vol. 2. The songs that have featured so far are "Come A Little Bit Closer" by Jay and the Americans (Comic-Con trailer), "Hooked on a Feeling" by Blue Swede (tease), "Fox on the Run" by Sweet (teaser trailer), "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac (Super Bowl trailer) and "Suffragette City" by David Bowie (TV spot). Gunn previously alluded to Jay and the Americans' and Fleetwood Mac's songs making it in, so they seem safe. He's also talked in the past about how Guardians 2's Bowie song would be from Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, which "Suffragette City" fits. All that considered, it looks like Sweet and Blue Swede could miss out - although the latter is unsurprising given how much a part it played in the first Guardians.
Gunn has also commented on the two different lines delivered by Drax when Mantis is hit in the Super Bowl trailer and TV spot: in the former he offered a too late "look out", whereas in the spot he quipped on how he was lucky to avoid it. The explanation is that to maintain the surprise for the film itself, alternate takes are being used:
We like to use lines we don’t use in the movie in the trailers so as not to give everything away and use funny stuff otherwise wasted. https://t.co/eS2uBCHVva— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) February 12, 2017
Based on Gunn's answer, it sounds like other moments might be different too - possibly the previous trailer punchlines involving the overly-literal alien. On the one hand this keeps things fresh for the movie, but on the other it sets up audience expectation for jokes that aren't there. Trailer shots not being in the film is a common criticism of modern film marketing - look at the furor around Rogue One's missing trailer shots in reference to the infamous reshoots - so it's interesting that it's a conscious decision here.
Source: James Gunn
