"AHHHHH!" #GotGVol2 pic.twitter.com/PKNU3AYHPw

— GuardiansOfTheGalaxy (@Guardians) April 26, 2017

Three years ago, director James Gunn reignited Guardians of the Galaxy, a giddily irreverent intergalactic journey that acted as the hyper kid brother of The Avengers. More family-friendly than other Marvel outings, Gunn imbued his cosmos-crossing adventures, cliff-hangers and daring escapes with an irresistibly playful self-awareness – and the most charming cast of weirdo characters you ever did see.

As the charmingly cocky Quill, Chris Pratt headed up a band of freaks, geeks and criminals, who meet Usual Suspects-style. His motley crew include Vin Diesel as the word-short but heart-filled tree Groot; rebellious bad girl Gomorrah (Zoe Saldana); hulking, literal speaking muscle man Drax (Dave Bautista); and a sarcastic motor-mouth raccoon Rocket, superbly voiced by Bradley Cooper.

Guardians combined broad humour, cleverly veiled innuendo for adults, and a serious dose of nostalgic, off-kilter humour thanks to a funky 70s soundtrack found on Quill’s beloved mixtape, cherished from childhood.

Critics who initially saw Guardians Of The Galaxy loved the fun and frisky flick, and the film’s smashing box-office success proved to everyone that the Guardians were here to stay. For Gunn it was “fulfilling” that the characters spoke to so many people all over the world.

“From the beginning, the Guardians of the Galaxy is about a group of outsiders” Gunn says, “and I think that’s what the movie speaks to. Being able to see kids who love the Guardians along with people telling me their grandparents also love the Guardians is quite amazing. I hear all the time that it speaks to such a wide array of people and that is what makes it really gratifying.”

Making a film that people can enjoy with their family – whether biological or chosen – was vital to Gunn, because Guardians and Vol. 2 are more than just empty adventure; they’re films about the characters, their expanded journeys and relationships.

“The first movie was about becoming a family. This movie is about being a family,” Gunn explains. “And being a family is a lot more difficult than becoming a family. It’s a much more complicated story. In the first movie, a bunch of characters who are outsiders come together. Well, where does that leave them? These people are screwed up. These are very dysfunctional beings, whether they’re humans or aliens.”

Chris Pratt plays Peter Quill aka Star-Lord, the character whose quest to discover the truth of his parents leads to the Guardian coming together in their own little delightfully dysfunctional family unit.

Before Guardians, Pratt had always been the kid brother in comedy families, not the leader. Most famous for his role as loveable goofball Andy Dwyer in Parks and Recreation with Amy Poehler, Aziz Ansari, Rob Lowe, Rashida Jones and Nick Offerman, Pratt was keen to take on a role that allowed him to display his charming comedic skills as well as newfound status as an action hero – skills that have since been on display in Jurassic World.

Reflecting on the opportunity to bring Star-Lord to life again, Pratt says, “What appealed to me the most about this character was the opportunity to add my own personal brand of humor into it. This was something that I knew I could do that was unique to me, and I had been dying for an opportunity to do that. I wanted to do something that was both comedic and physical. This role is a comfortable space to do that. What is so exciting to me is that I can just do the best version of my best stuff with Star-Lord.”

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Quill is on a quest to discover his true parentage, having never known his father. As Pratt explains, “Quill is desperate to know who his dad is and dreamed his whole life that his dad was somebody special, somebody important, somebody cool. So when Quill finally meets his bigger-than-life father, who’s been searching for him, it fills this giant void that he’s had in his heart his whole life.”

Quill learns some tricky lessons about family, parenthood and unconditional love, and Pratt believes the film will prove thought-provoking and quite emotional for audiences.
“I think it will hopefully make people step away from the movie and think who is that person in my life?” muses Pratt. “Who am I taking for granted right now just because they’re not my mom or dad. Who’s the person who has invested so much of themselves into me? It makes you want to really grab them and hold onto them tightly.”

Of course, if you were going to choose any of the Guardians to grab onto and hold tightly, it’d probably be Groot. The utterly loveable extra-terrestrial tree warrior, Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) could only ever verbalise the words ‘I am Groot’ – but his devotion, determination and loyalty was always perfectly expressed. And after sacrificing himself to save the Guardians, Groot is now re-growing from a sapling – enter Baby Groot, the cutest little twiglet you ever did see.

For Diesel, there is much to love about the quirky character. “I loved the gentle giant aspect of Groot,” he says. “I loved how enigmatic the character is. He's been labelled the most interesting character in the Marvel universe because he’s so unique and so different. I loved the connection to Earth and the connection to nature and that this character is a vassal of nature. I loved the biblical concepts that are played out in this character. And quite frankly, as a thespian, I thought it was pretty challenging to try to play a whole character limited to three monosyllabic words.”

Offering insight on what the Guardians are up to in the sequel, Diesel says, “They’ve got to save the galaxy. That’s what they do. But I think there are a lot of family relationships that are being worked out in this movie. The concept of who your father is, who deserves the label of being your father is an interesting concept. And sisterhood, how that plays out with Nebula and Gamora is an interesting concept. I think these family relationships played out in this kind of galaxy is fascinating.”

No mercy. No problem. #GotGVol2 pic.twitter.com/qG6DWkSPJ4

— GuardiansOfTheGalaxy (@Guardians) April 17, 2017

Zoe Saldana, who plays Gamora, agrees whole-heartedly, explaining why her character’s arc was so fascinating to her.

“In the first Guardians, she’s on a mission to be free or die because she’s over it,” says Saldana. “There’s a selfish essence to her, and it makes prerogative very personal. Versus like in this one, she’s on a path of redemption, so she wants to be very present in trying to do good. And that also means, on a very personal and uncomfortable level, that she has to try to just let go of whatever animosity existed between her and her sister.”
Gamora’s arc in the film is tied to the changing dynamic of her contentious and bitter relationship with her sister Nebula. “I think that Gamora’s realizing that it’s her job as an older sibling to guide Nebula.”

Needs revenge. #GotGVol2 pic.twitter.com/Qr2flsyAkF

— GuardiansOfTheGalaxy (@Guardians) April 17, 2017

Gamora making peace with Nebula is part of her redemption process and central to her character in the movie. As Saldana explains, “Nebula’s the only family member that Gamora will ever know. So if Nebula’s all she has, then she’s worth the sacrifice and the work and the pain. I feel like that’s where Gamora’s at when it comes to her and her sister’s relationship.”

But of course, Gamora’s relationship with her sister isn’t the one getting us all hot and bothered – fans are dying to know where the sizzling sexual tension between Gamora and Quill is going to lead in Vol. 2.

Describing their evolving relationship, Saldana says, “I think he likes her more than she likes him for sure. But I don’t think it’s because he’s not the one for her, according to her. I just don’t think she's thought that far about love for herself. Right now she’s trying to make amends with all the wrong that she’s done. The last thing she feels that she’s going to deserve is love from a partner.”

With Quill’s cockiness and determination, you know he’s going to try his damndest to get the girl – and he’ll have a killer soundtrack to make his moves oh-so-smooth. Music plays an important part in Guardians of the Galaxy films and Pratt is quick to agree with that statement.

“When I hear from fans about the first movie and the things that they love, right at the top of that list is the music,” comments Pratt. “People just loved the Awesome Mix Volume 1. And, of course, Quill at the end of the first movie gets Awesome Mix Volume 2 from his mother, which is a harbinger of things to come. And we’ve got an exceptional playlist in Vol. 2; some great songs.”

These include tracks from Fleetwood Mac, Parliament, Glen Campbell and even an appearance from David ‘Topless’ Hasselhoff – an eclectic mix if ever there was one, but Pratt insists that the songs continue to play an important narrative role.

“They’re not just thrown in randomly,” the actor asserts. “Any time you hear a song in the movie, it’s playing on a tape player or on a tape deck. There’s a reason that song is playing in that moment. It’s not just accompanying. It’s very much a narrative tool that James Gunn uses to help tell the story.”

Director James Gunn is known for playing songs from the film’s soundtrack on set, and for Saldana the music immersion helps to inform her performance. “Music makes the whole process of accessing emotional beats or sense memory much easier,” Saldana says. “So when you have a song that fits tone-wise, what’s going on between two characters while they are having a moment with each other takes you there. It takes you there so quickly, and it moves you.”

Summing up what he thinks audiences can expect when they see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Pratt says, “What I’m really hoping for is that they’ll get exactly what they got in the first movie but in a completely different way. People want to have a profound, life-changing experience at the movies. And they will. But it’s not going to be what they expect. It’s going to be different.”

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 is in cinemas now!