Guardians of the Galaxy 2: What We Know

When Marvel announced its aggressive slate of titles today in Los Angeles, one of the ones that we already knew was Guardians of the Galaxy 2. In spite of rumors that the film would be titled War of Kings, all we got was an affirmation that it's still coming, what the release date is, and not much else.

So...what do we actually know about Guardians of the Galaxy 2?

The film will be written and directed by James Gunn, who co-wrote and directed Guardians of the Galaxy. It's due in theaters on May 5, 2017.

All of the principal actors playing the titular Guardians will return, including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel. Josh Brolin is expected to return to reprise his role as Thanos ahead of the character's appearance in Avengers 3, which is expected to be titled The Infinity Gauntlet, Part 1. It isn't clear whether Karen Gillan's Nebula will return or not.

Gunn has said that the film will delve into the mystery of Star-Lord's father, introduced in the first movie, and that his screen father will NOT be J-Son, his father from the comics. It's widely assumed that because of Thanos's role in Infinity Gauntlet that the Guardians will cross over with The Avengers at some point in the film. Rumor has it Hulk may appear.