Guardians of the Galaxy proved a number of things for Marvel. One, that the superhero studio giant could create a worldwide sensation out a team of obscure comic book characters. Two, audiences welcomed exploring worlds they have never seen on the big screen before. And three, a foulmouthed, gun-toting raccoon and a tree of few words could become viral sensations. Despite this immense success, Marvel is confident they can top the first go around.
Ahead of the DVD and Blu-ray releases for Avengers: Age of Ultron, Cinema Blend spoke over the phone with Christopher Townsend, the film’s VFX supervisor who is also working on Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2. We asked how he could help top the first film, and his answer suggests the property’s success opened the door for even more grand effects. He said,
We want to challenge and surprise the audience, just as much in the second one as we did in the first one. And obviously, one of the advantages we have going into the second film is that the audience already knows the characters and they’ve grown to love them, and so we don’t have to try and prove that anymore. Now, it’s a matter of trying to up the ante in terms of the visuals and also the storytelling. So I think it’s really exciting.
Guardians of the Galaxy was nominated for two Oscars — visual effects and makeup/costumes. The effects department was also recognized by the BAFTA Awards and the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, while the film at large garnered attention from the Hugo Awards, Annie Awards, Art Directors Guild, and even the Grammys. So there’s already a great deal of pressure to top this effort.
Director-writer James Gunn is already hard at work at the sequel. Chris Pratt, who will be returning as Star-Lord, remarked that his idea brought him to tears. Marvel, on the hand, didn’t have any notes to offer Gunn when he told them his idea. Plot details for the film are still under wraps, but we do know via tidbits picked up here and there that the sequel will see a new Guardian joining the ranks, fewer characters overall, and a more emotional story. In addition, much as the end of GOTG suggested, GOTG 2 will focus on the identity of Star-Lord’s father. Despite fan speculation fueled by reports, Gunn also commented that Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner/Hulk will "100 percent" not appear in GOTG 2.
Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Dave Bautista (Drax the Destroyer), Bradley Cooper (Rocket), Vin Diesel (Groot), and Karen Gillan (Nebula) will reprise their roles in the film, which is currently slated for release on May 5, 2017.
