Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol 2 is so close that we can hear the ‘Ooga chakas’ already. The wait has already been far too long.
While things started off a little rocky between the Guardians back in the Kyln, they’re now almost ready to reassemble as an unconventional but united band of space misfits and probably save the galaxy once again.
Vol 2 sees the group’s unofficial leader Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) embarking on a journey of self-discovery of sorts. After years in space as a sometimes-Ravager, oftentimes-womaniser and always-orphan, he’s ready to track down his father, who might not be a human as he’d presumed. But even if his mission is unsuccessful and he doesn’t find his dad, he’ll always have a family as far as the rest of the gang is concerned.
“Well, he’s famous now in the galaxy for having saved so many people,” says Pratt. “What the Guardians Of The Galaxy did in the first movie, our movie picks up only a couple of months after that, so we’re well-known now, and we’re really picking up where we left off. He feels like he’s part of this group, or not just part of this group, but a leader of this group. He’s a little bit more responsible and trying hard to stay out of trouble, but not necessarily doing the best job.”
Likewise, Drax, played by a hilariously deadpan Dave Bautista, continues to try his best without really knowing what he’s doing. “There’s not much of a time gap between the first film and this film, so I think if anything he’s just more confused,” Bautista tells us. “Now, he’s surrounded by people using metaphors, and he’s trying to figure it out. He kind of understands what a metaphor is, but he doesn’t really, but he tries to pretend like he does, so there’s a lot of confusion, which makes for a lot of good laughs.”
After the immense success – both financially and critically – of Guardians Of The Galaxy, the cast were more than eager to crack on with the sequel. “Oh my god… the four hours of green make-up every day, waking up at 2.45am – it was a blast for us!” jokes Zoe Saldana, who plays Gamora, the most make-up-heavy alien of the group.
Make-up wasn’t as much of an issue this time around for Nebula actress Karen Gillan, who had to shave her head for the first film. “They let me keep my hair, and I’m so grateful. There’s an undershave… I have hair on my head, which is really exciting. I look like a female, Not a really long baby. I’m pleased by that.”
Guardians has also acquired some new cast members, including Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha, Tommy Flanagan as Tullk, Kurt Russell as Ego (Star-Lord’s dad), and Sylvester Stallone in an unknown role. While this isn’t the only thing being kept under wraps, Saldana is open about what the best thing about returning is.
“Working with my friends,” she says. “We knew that we had something super-special, because James [Gunn, director] gave us the opportunity to be super-crazy with our characters, and coming back almost felt like we had just taken a summer break. This movie is going to have twice as much fun. They’re super-fucking crazy. They fight all the time, and Gamora’s become this old lady that’s always like, ‘Stop it, stop it,’ so it’s fun.”
Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol 2 hits cinemas on 28 April 2017. For all the latest movie news, pick up the new issue of SciFiNow.
