'Guardians of the Galaxy 2' release date, cast news & spoilers: director/writer James Gunn sheds light on the upcoming sequel; says there won't be any Marvel crossovers

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Guardians of the Galaxy proved to be a massive hit for Marvel in 2014, when it grossed over $774 million worldwide, over triple the film's initial budget. The film further proved the star power of Parks and Recreation actor Chris Pratt, who went on to star in another massive franchise this year, Jurassic Park. The film also stars wrestler Dave Bautista in his first ever starring major role, and A-listers Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel.

The James Gunn-directed film is set to return with a sequel in May 2017, with most of the stars returning to reprise their roles. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gunn recently took to Facebook to do a Q&A to update fans on how the film is coming along. Gunn gamely answered questions, shedding light on the upcoming film he is set to write and direct once more.

"I'm not going to give names and I won't give numbers either, but there will be at least one new character," Gunn explained of the cast. "There will be no other humans — humans being earthlings — besides Quill," played by Chris Pratt.

Gunn also shut down any speculation of a Marvel crossover like what happened in the Avengers. He said, "Everybody seems so addicted to this idea of seeing a character mashed up with another character, and that's just not my interest. My interest is to tell stories that are deeper and better about the characters that we've already known."

Gunn explained, "Even though I am adding characters — one character, at least, in [Vol. 2], it really is about getting to know the characters better. It isn't about mixing and matching characters. That's kind of boring to me, actually."

But with Thanos being a common thread among the Marvel superhero movies, does this mean that Gunn will be forced to write in any of the Avengers, if and when studio executives eventually decide to? It's too early to tell, but a Guardians of the Galaxy franchise seems to be able to stand on its own for now. In fact, it opens up another world in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to explore, with or without any other Avenger included.

Meanwhile, Gunn isn't the only one excited to begin the second chapter of the Guardians, as Vin Diesel, who voices Groot in the film, shared to io9, "I’ve heard the story pitched to me from my friend James Gunn over at my house on my son’s birthday. ...it’s emotional. He’s approaching it from the point of character. And I think the audience is really gonna respond to that."

Earlier this month, Entertainment Weekly reported that Volume 2 will feature more of Scottish actress Karen Gillan's Nebula, who faced Zoe Saldana's Gamora in a fight scene. Saldana also hinted at Benicio Del Toro's return to the film as The Collector.

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is set to be released in theaters on May 5, 2017.