‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ Updates: Director James Gunn Says Sequel is more Science-Fiction than Original, Confirms Nebula Gets Bigger Role

‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ will be more of a science-fiction film compared to the original release. Director James Gunn also confirmed that Karen Gillan’s Nebula will be getting a bigger role in the sequel.

According to NME, Gunn admitted that the upcoming sequel will be more of a “science-fiction” film compared to its predecessor. He said, “I’d say the first film is a space opera, not a science-fiction film. The second move is a bit more science-fiction, though.”

Gunn’s first live-action adaptation of the Marvel superhero team was released on August 2014. It became a commercial success at the box office and was regarded as the highest-grossing superhero film of the year. According to Box Office Mojo, it grossed $773.31 million worldwide against a $170 million production budget.

The first film introduced main characters Chris Pratt as Peter Quill a.k.a. Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Bradley Cooper as Rocket Racoon, and Vin Diesel as Groot. The Guardians were an uneasy alliance of extraterrestrial rebels running from several hunters after stealing a powerful ancient artifact.

According to Business Standard, Karen Gillan is also returning to reprise her role as Gamora’s villainous sister Nebula. Although she only received a minor role in the preceding film, Gunn confirmed that Nebula will have a bigger part to play in the sequel.

Gillan’s character is a royal lieutenant under the employ of Ronan the Accuser and the supervillain Thanos – the latter also being her adoptive father. She was introduced as a highly-skilled assassin and master combatant with an evil streak.

He said, "Nebula is a huge character in @GotGVol2. @karengillan has her makeup applied every day of her many days on set." It was speculated that Nebula will eventually switch sides to fight for good together with the Guardians. However, this remains unconfirmed.

‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ is an upcoming action-adventure and science-fiction film written and directed by James Gunn. It is produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Motion Pictures. It is scheduled to premiere on May 5, 2017 in the United States.