'Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2' is an upcoming science-fiction action film directed by James Gunn. Casting calls are ongoing in Atlanta in time for the February 2016 shoot in Georgia. Matthew McConaughey was initially offered the role of a new villain for the sequel but eventually turned it down while Pom Klementieff is the latest to join the cast as Mantis.
According to Backstage, two casting calls have been announced for November 7 and 8 for background talent for 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'. James Gunn's follow-up to the 2014 blockbuster film will begin shooting in Fayetteville, Georgia on February 2016.
Original cast members will return including Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Chris Pratt as Peter Quill a.k.a. Star-Lord, Bradley Cooper as Rocket Racoon, Dave Bautista as Drax, Vin Diesel as Groot and Benicio Del Toro as The Collector.
According to IGN, Matthew McConaughey was originally offered the part of a main antagonist but eventually turned down the role, according to IGN. It remains unknown which bad guy McConaughey was chosen to play. The 45-year old Hollywood heartthrob is best known for his work on 'Magic Mike', 'Dallas Buyers Club', 'The Wolf of Wall Street', 'How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days', 'Interstellar' and 'Fool's Gold'.
Several villains from the series already made it on the first live-action adaptation. Korath the Pursuer, Ronan the Accuser, Thanos, and Nebula were introduced in the first movie. Del Toro's character The Collector is also considered an evil menace as well.
Meanwhile, newcomer Pom Klementieff will be joining the cast as Mantis. According to Variety, the 'Oldboy' actress will be taking on a "key" role that needed to be filled in by a talent of Asian descent. Mantis, half-Vietnamese, half-German woman raised by a race of alien trees, is a psychic master of martial arts that appeared in the later comic books.
'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' is a sequel, written and directed by James Gunn. It is scheduled to be released on May 5, 2017 and is the third film lined up for Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase Three. Its predecessor was a massive cinematic success, earning $774 million against a $195 million budget according to Box Office Mojo.
Join the Conversation