Kurt Russell officially signs on for Guardians Vol. 2 as principle photography begins

By Chris Leo Palermino February 17, 2015

kurt russell guardians of galaxy vol2 grindhouse — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The stars have all aligned: As was previously rumored, Kurt Russell has been cast in in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Director James Gunn announced the news in a Facebook post today as production got underway in Atlanta, Georgia. He did not, confirm what role The Hateful Eight star will play, but there doesn’t seem to be much mystery there.

There has been wide speculation that Russell will star as the alien father of Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord character (aka Peter Quill) in the film, with The Wrap reporting in December that the actor was Gunn’s top choice for the part. Rumors of Russell’s potential involvement came after an earlier reveal this fall from Gunn that Peter Quill will be the only earthling in Vol. 2, and that more releases in the Marvel Studios-produced series are likely.

Plot details for the second film of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise are still under wraps. Based on the Marvel comic book series, the film version tells the story of Quill forming an alliance with other misfit heroes to save the galaxy. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 was the 10th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — and one of the highest-grossing films of 2014.

Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Sean Gunn, Glenn Close, and voice stars Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel are set to return for Vol. 2. In October, the studio revealed that Oldboy’s Pom Klementieff joined the film’s cast in an unknown role after a wide search. Other new cast members revealed in Gunn’s post include Elizabeth Debicki and Chris Sullivan.

Russell, now 64, made a name for himself in the ’80s and ’90s for his iconic roles in movies like Tombstone, as well as sci-fi films like Escape From New York, The Thing, and Stargate. The veteran actor has been nominated for two major awards in his career: a Golden Globe nom for his performance in 1983’s Silkwood, and an Emmy nom for the 1979 television film Elvis.

Production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is now underway. Disney will release the film on May 5, 2017.

Updated 2/17/16 by Stephanie Topacio Long: This post has been updated to reflect the most recent casting news and the fact that filming has begun.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Chris Leo Palermino

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Chris Leo Palermino is a music, tech, business, and culture journalist based between New York and Boston. He also contributes…

Entertainment

The best characters in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, ranked

'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' Nebula (Karen Gillan), Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), and Drax (Dave Bautista) wearing black and red uniforms, walking along a metal ship hallway.

After a long and winding journey, Marvel Studios has finally released James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. This highly-anticipated film follows the Guardians as they face off against the Rocket’s creator, the High Evolutionary, in their darkest but most beautiful adventure yet.
Since this seems to be the last time we’ll see the Guardians together, now’s a good time to rank all the characters who rocked cinemas in their final tour.
Please note: there are major spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in this article.
13. Ayesha

The Sovereign empress returns to exact vengeance on the Guardians with the help of Adam Warlock and the High Evolutionary. But it is revealed that she and her people were created by the High Evolutionary, and she becomes more subservient in his presence.

Entertainment

Guardians of the Galaxy never needed the MCU to be successful

Star-Lord leads the Guardians of the Galaxy as they walk out of a spaceship in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Before James Gunn moves entirely to DC, he has one last ride to fulfill with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Gunn will premiere Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 this week, finalizing the trilogy he began nearly 10 years ago with the unexpected box-office hit and critical darling Guardians of the Galaxy. Gunn single-handedly raised one of Marvel's most obscure teams into the mainstream, turned Chris Pratt into a star -- for a while, anyway -- and launched the cosmic corner of the MCU with a healthy dose of humor and an overabundance of heart.

The Guardians movies are silly and funny, with several large-scale set pieces of flashy lights and boom-boom-pows meant to fulfill the MCU quota. But there's an emotional center to them -- it's not just a collection of characters in tight spandex jumping around, but a group of well-defined, three-dimensional figures relating to one another while saving the universe. In many ways, the Guardians trilogy is everything the MCU should be, to the point where it's not an overstatement to say these films would've succeeded with or without the Marvel connection -- if anything, the MCU needs them more than they need it.
Heart meets stupid

Entertainment

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 introduces Marvel’s best villain since Thanos

The High Evolutionary stands up in a red-walled room in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Nowadays, it’s not all that controversial to say that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been stuck in a bit of a rut for the past few years. In the wake of the climactic high that it hit with 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, Marvel has repeatedly struggled to consistently deliver films and TV shows that feel as cohesive as the titles that built up the studio’s reputation in the first place. That hasn’t been due to a lack of trying, either. In just the past four years, Marvel has released around 20 new feature films and Disney+ MCU shows.

While opinions may vary about the MCU’s latest offering, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the general consensus surrounding the James Gunn-directed film seems fairly positive right now. At the very least, many seem to agree that it’s the first MCU film in quite a while that feels like it was actually made with real, palpable amounts of love and passion. It also, notably, introduces the most memorable and compelling villain who has shown up in the MCU since Josh Brolin’s Thanos was dusted out of existence in Endgame.