James Gunn Says He Had “More Freedom” With Guardians Of The Galaxy 2

When you take a relatively unknown superhero group — one that is nowhere near being in the same league as Spider-Man or the Avengers — and turn it into one of Marvel’s most successful cinematic properties, it turns out the House of Ideas lets you have some wiggle room when they award you a sequel.

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Guardians of the Galaxy writer/director James Gunn took a talking raccoon, added a walking tree, sprinkled on a pair of loners, and topped it all off with the deadliest woman in the universe and made a movie that Marvelites all over the globe adored. And now, he’s gearing up for his second entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe this coming May and it seems as if Marvel is confident in having Gunn be the visionary behind chairman of the cosmos-based movies.

During the recent Writers Guild Foundation’s WGFestival, Gunn spoke about the freedom Marvel gave him in the second Guardians film.

“On the second movie I had a lot more freedom,” Gunn reflected. “Because the first movie did well and it was great not having to explain the five major characters to the audience in the first half hour, we just go straight into the story.”

With that freedom, Gunn appears to be doing everything in his power to make sure the two movies remain separate projects, even though they’re showcasing the same property.

“This has to be its own thing and you can’t start making this a sh—y Xerox of the first one,” Gunn quipped.

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Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is written and directed by James Gunn (Slither) and is slated for release on May 5, 2017. The film marks the return of the original Guardians, including Chris Pratt (Jurassic World) as Peter Quill/Star-Lord; Zoe Saldana (Star Trek Into Darkness) as Gamora; Dave Bautista (Spectre) as Drax; Vin Diesel (Furious 7) as the voice of Groot; Bradley Cooper (American Sniper) as the voice of Rocket; Michael Rooker (Jumper) as Yondu; Karen Gillan (The Big Short) as Nebula; and Sean Gunn (Gilmore Girls) as Kraglin. New cast members include Pom Klementieff (Oldboy), Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby, Everest), Chris Sullivan (The Knick, The Drop) and Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight, The Thing).

[H/T Variety]