For all of the sci-fi tropes littered throughout Guardians of the Galaxy, James Gunn’s breakout hit had Marvel’s eclectic crew squaring off against a relatively human nemesis in Ronan the Accuser. That all looks set to change in time for 2017 – judging by the sequel’s new concept art, that is.
Arriving by way of Empire, the image above sees Star-Lord and Co. looking horns with some form of tendrilled nasty, and though the beast is currently unnamed, it’s as though the Sarlacc pit itself rose from the sands of Tatooine to wreak havoc. What we do know for sure is that, should this abomination feature in Gunn’s 2017 release, it likely won’t be the only villain cramming up Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
That’s because we know Elizabeth Debicki is on board as Ayesha, a character pitched as the “golden High Priestess of a genetically-perfect people called the Sovereign. She’s not a woman to be screwed with – she, and her entire world, are extraordinarily deadly.” Yikes. Couple this with the seemingly omnipresent threat of Yondu (Michael Rooker) and his pack of Ravagers and it’s clear that our Guardians won’t have much time for respite after felling Ronan.
Rounding out the core group are Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), Drax (Dave Bautista) and a baby Groot (Vin Diesel). Kurt Russell, meanwhile, is attached to play a humanoid version of Ego the Living Planet, with Sylvester Stallone also on board in an unknown role.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is earmarked for release on May 5, 2017.