Gunn: Guardians sequel surprises

James Gunn thinks fans will find Guardians of the Galaxy 2 “surprising”.

The director released the first star-studded Marvel picture in August to great success, as it has earned over $732 million worldwide to date, according to Box Office Mojo.

And while speaking at Variety magazine’s Entertainment & Technology Summit on Tuesday, James revealed some spoilers about the forthcoming Guardians of the Galaxy sequel.

“It’s going to be a really surprising open. What happens is all the characters are killed in the first 10 minutes,” he joked. “In really horribly brutal fashion.”

James got serious moments later, confirming all five original Guardians will be back. Chris Pratt portrays Peter Quill / Star Lord in the 2014 film, with Zoe Saldana starring as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Vin Diesel as Groot and Bradley Cooper plays Rocket.

James also noted at the event Guardians of the Galaxy 2 will answer some secrets brought forth by the first instalment and the sequel might also introduce new characters.

“I spent all day on August 1, the day the first movie was released, writing Guardians 2,” the filmmaker stated. “I was so excited about it and I was finally able to let go of the last one and begin the second one. I always saw this as a universe, not just as one story.”

James thinks it’s highly unlikely Guardians 2 will crossover with other sci-fi movies.

Although Disney is currently working on J.J. Abrams’ highly anticipated feature Star Wars: Episode VII, James is convinced there’s no room for Darth Vader in the Guardians universe.

“Star Wars was a long time ago,” he smiled. “It would have to be time travel.”

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is slated for release in July 2017.