James Gunn Hints At New Character And A Marvel Future Beyond Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

Ever the one to address his legions of followers via Facebook, director James Gunn recently hosted a video Q&A to talk about all things Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – at least, anything he could reasonably reveal at this early stage. With the sequel primed to enter a 10-month production in Atlanta, Georgia, the cast and crew are dusting themselves off and preparing for another bout of sci-fi goodness and booming 80s ballads.

Such is the ever-evolving nature of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that even after only a year, the studio’s slate is vastly different – and more crowded – than it was before Guardians of the Galaxy strutted into theaters. With numerous high-profile tentpoles in development, you’d be forgiven for getting caught up in the excitement, but for Gunn, the filmmaker remains firmly focused on the task at hand.

During the video interview, the director revealed that he is “a lot more concerned” about his own film, and that he’s treating the sci-fi sequel as a standalone feature.

“Everything’s going to be different in the ‘Infinity Wars.’ I’m a lot more concerned with ‘Vol. 2’ than I am with ‘Infinity Wars.’ The way the movie [’Vol. 2’] is structured and made – it really is a story unto itself. It’s not about leading up to anything else. It’s about the Guardians and their lives.”

Much digital ink has been spilled about the success of Guardians in 2014 and, in particular, how it caught everyone off guard. Looking to the future, Gunn appeared open to the idea of remaining within the MCU following the release of Vol. 2 – you know, providing the sequel performs relatively well.

Here’s what the director had to share:

Probably! If the second one does well. You guys will have to go see the second one. There’s a lot of other Marvel cosmic properties that I’d be interested in helping usher to the screen. I talk about it a lot but, if I said too much here, Marvel might track me down and shoot me. As long as I’m working with Marvel, I’ll probably be working on ‘Guardians’ and ‘Guardians’-related projects.

Gunn’s love affair with the titular motley crew runs deep, and it’s interesting to note the way he refers to “Guardian-related projects” of the cuff. Is it possible that the director is in line to helm a crossover film or potential standalone piece for one of the Guardians? Time will tell.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will reunite Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper when Gunn’s sci-fi sequel whizzes into theaters on May 5, 2017.