Fresh off of what will most likely be the massive success of The Hateful Eight , Kurt Russell could finally get that huge Tarantino-boost that he probably hoped would immediately follow 2007’s Death Proof. Variety is reporting that the actor is in talks to star as the father of Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord character in the forthcoming sequel to Marvel’s 2014 blockbuster, Guardians of the Galaxy.
The actual character is incredibly complicated, as many of the more sci-fi leaning characters of the Marvel Universe tend to be. The history of Quill’s father is tough to decipher to do at least one major retcon, but it’s a safe bet that Russell’s eventual character, should he land the role, will be an alien of some kind, possible Jason of Spartax, who turns against his son when he declines to take his place by his father’s side. So there will probably be some father-son showdowns in the next film, which is great, because one major, current sci-fi franchise with a murderous patriarch isn’t enough.
As far as the film itself, it’s being directed by James Gunn, who directed the first. All of the supporting cast (Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, and Pratt) are most likely returning. The release date will be May 5, 2017, unless Marvel’s future plans somehow go awry, and people stop spending millions of dollars at the movies to see comic book heroes.