In just a few weeks, directorJames Gunnwill start production onMarvel’sPhase ThreesequelGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, withprincipal photographyset to begin in Atlanta next month. TheGuardians of the Galaxythemselves, Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Groot (Vin Diesel) and Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) are all set to return, withPom Klementieffcoming aboard as the first new cast member, rumored to be playing Mantis. While no other cast members have been confirmed at this time, originalGuardians of the GalaxystarBenicio Del Tororevealed in an interview withComingSoon.netthat he won’t be returning as The Collector.
“I don’t think so. They would have told me, I hope… I do hope to play that character again at some point.”
While the news may be disappointing to fans of The Collector, it’s possible that he could return, especially since his character may play an important part in the build-up toAvengers: Infinity War Part IandAvengers: Infinity War - Part II. It was revealed in apost-creditsscene ofThor: The Dark Worldthat The Collector was given the Aether, a.k.a. The Reality Stone. Since this is one of the Infinity Stones thatThanos(Josh Brolin) is trying to collect, it seems likely that we could see him again at some point. As for his involvement, or lack thereof, inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, that may be due to a scheduling conflict.
The actor is attached to star inStar Wars: Episode VIII, which is scheduled to start production at Pinewood Studios in London later this month.Benicio Del Toroteased in September that he won’t start production until March. WithGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2starting principal photography in February, there likely won’t be time for the actor to put in an appearance, and, as the actor said, he surely would have heard something by now. So while we shouldn’t expect to see The Collector inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, it’s still possible he will return to the MCU at some point.
We reported last month thatKurt Russellis in talks to playStar-Lord’s father inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but his casting has not been confirmed. Writer-directorJames Gunnhas teased in the past that the sequel will reveal who Star-Lord’s father is, and while he wouldn’t confirm that character’s identity, he did say that it wouldn’t be the same character from the comics, J’son.Kurt Russelldid confirm that he was approached to star in the sequel, but he has to watch the original movie first and read the script for the sequel before he decides.
DirectorJames Gunnalso revealed today that he was discussing giving a cameo role toDavid BowieinGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, before the iconic singer passed away last night at the age of 69. The filmmaker also added that he originally planned on using another one ofDavid Bowie’s songs on the sequel’s soundtrack. While the scene he had planned on using the song in was cut from the script, the director did add that they have the rights to this song, and it still may be used in some way. Are you disappointed that The Collector will not return inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2?
