Doctor Strange opens in theaters in two weeks, on Nov. 4. But after that, it will be six months before Marvel movie magic graces the big screen again.
(Yes, Logan will be released on March 4. And Wolverine is a Marvel Comics character. But that technically isn’t a Marvel movie, as the X-Men franchise is with 20th Century Fox. Geek semantics, corporate film rights, etc. So while Hugh Jackman’s last go-around as the six-clawed mutant will fill the superhero movie void, it doesn’t provide a fix for your winter Marvel jones.)
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/788816514644193281
Up next on the Marvel slate after Benedict Cumberbatch bends our minds with superhero sorcery? The return of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel’s 2014 creative gamble with third-string (fourth-string?) characters that the general public wasn’t familiar with paid off enormously, grossing $773 million worldwide, established Chris Pratt as a movie star and made us believe that a talking raccoon holding giant machine guns could be out there somewhere in the cosmos.
With the success of the film, which many fans consider their favorite Marvel movie, a sequel was inevitable and greatly anticpated. And it’s coming. Marvel released the first footage of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in a teaser trailer Wednesday. Take a look:
Marvel and director James Gunn know what they’re doing. How many people now associate Blue Swede’s “Hooked on a Feeling” with Peter Quill and the Guardians of the Galaxy? Don’t steal Star-Lord’s Walkman. Just the faint hint of the opening notes and that “Ooga Chaka” chant is enough to stir up some excitement. But that can only go so far and some visual stimulation is provided as well.
There’s Gamora (Zoe Saldana) unsheathing a lethal sword. And Yondu (Michael Rooker) sporting a much taller cybernetic mohawk. Is he friend or foe to the Guardians this time around? Walking alongside Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper) seems to indicate there’s at least an uneasy alliance. Nebula (Karen Gillan) has some new fleshy-colored parts on her half-human, half-robot head.
Best of all, we get some philosophy from humor- and sarcasm-devoid Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), who explains that there are two types of beings in the universe: Those who dance and those who do not. Try and punch a hole in that logic. Who knew that a guy so lethal with knives could also be so profound? Maybe finding some friends has opened Drax’s mind up to the possibilities of the universe. You know, beyond killing people.
Gunn also posted the teaser poster for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 to social media. The cast looks appropriately bad-ass. (Except for little Baby Groot clinging to Star-Lord’s ankle. How adorable is that guy?) That could be the cover to an album featuring the galaxy’s greatest punk band.
Oh — and apparently, we’ll be getting much different footage when the first full trailer for the film is released. Will that be around Christmas, perhaps attached to Rogue One: A Star Wars story?
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/788788338098524161
James Gunn, you saucy little minx. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will bring us action, laughs and joy on May 5, 2017. Are you high on believing?
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About Ian Casselberry
Ian is a writer, editor, and podcaster. You can find his work at Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He's written for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation.