James Gunn blew away expectation with his monster hit ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, so of course the director is churning away on the sequel, which will arrive in theaters on May 5, 2017.  Usually comic book movies are kept under heavy wraps, but Gunn actually takes to Facebook to dispel rumors and offer tidbits about the second Marvel space epic.

First of all, Gunn has completed the first draft of the screenplay.  The director initially came up with a “scriptment,” which he explains as “the majority of a script, with every beat and even a lot of dialogue.”  This “scriptment” added up to 70 pages, which Marvel and Disney execs have read, but they have not yet been given the full screenplay, which takes that and fleshes it out in detail.

Gunn has read some comics, but don’t expect ‘GotG2’ to directly adapt the source material.  The director/writer has already expressly stated that Peter Quill/Star-Lord’s father will not be J’Son, the character from the comics.  “[Reading the comics] is all to fill out and make better the essential story that I came up with while making the first movie.”  Meaning this is all Gunn, but comic readers may spot some elements from the comics.

One element– or rather character– from Marvel Comics that won’t be in ‘GotG2,’ despite rumors, is The Hulk.  Comic fans are still clamoring for the ‘Planet Hulk’ storyline to be adapted to the big screen, but everyone involved with the MCU has shot that possibility down repeatedly.  But hey, it never hurts to dream.

In better news, there will indeed be an Awesome Mix Vol. 2!  As with the first film’s soundtrack, Gunn has hand-selected an assortment of classic light rock tunes and peppered them throughout the script.  However, keep in mind, Gunn did the same with the first movie, but some did not make the final cut (or the accompanying soundtrack album).

Although it was pretty much a given, the main cast– Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, and some CGI with the voices of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel– is returning as well as some supporting characters, possibly Yondu and Nebula.

Gunn has actively been feeding info to fans, so presumably more details will emerge as the film doesn’t begin filming until February.

Are you psyched to return to the stars with the Guardians of the Galaxy?  What would you like to see in the sequel?

Source: Collider