On the surface, Kurt Russell playing Star Lord's father in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, a.k.a. Ego the Living Planet, is a no-brainer. He has plenty of experience playing characters with the same type of humor as Peter Quill's, and when you put the actor in a room with Chris Pratt, you get the sense they would be along fantastically. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and director James Gunn hadn't considered the Big Trouble in Little China star for the movie until Pratt suggested it.
During an interview with Empire, Gunn explained he hadn't thought of bringing Kurt Russell into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 at first, but once Chris Pratt put the idea in his head, he knew it had to happen. He said:
He was actually not in my head initially, but one day Chris suggested him, and I would have been really disappointed if he'd said no. Hey, if you have to cast anything, Kurt's a pretty good way to go.
After acting in Hollywood for over five decades, Kurt Russell is guaranteed to be good casting for almost any project. Still, let's be thankful that Chris Pratt suggested Russell to James Gunn. Even though an official Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 trailer for the public is still a few months away from premiering, but we can't imagine anyone better for the job.
Star-Lord grew up without knowing his father, so finally meeting this individual, who was described in Guardians of the Galaxy as both an "angel" and "jackass," will be a welcome moment for the explorer in the sequel. However, this reunion may not necesarily end up being all Peter Quill has built it up to in his head. Chris Pratt explained:
You're going to see these characters having to endure the realities of being in a family. You're talking about a guy who's been longing to know who his father is for a long time. He'll discover if that person lives up to the expectations he has in his head.
The footage from San Diego Comic-Con showed that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's Ego will be a lot different than Ego from the comics. For one thing, he's made a humanoid form for himself, including a pretty good penis, as he boasted to Drax. This makes it much easier for him to interact with other humanoids rather than looking like a planet with a giant face the whole time. We may still see Ego in his natural planet for a little bit, but for the most part, Kurt Russell's Ego is going to be a new take on the character. Thankfully, judging by Ego's witty comments from the Comic-Con preview, it seems that sense of humor and confidence is something Quill genetically inherited.
We'll see how Kurt Russell's MCU debut fares when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is released on May 5, 2017.
