James Gunn has been busy working on both a new Suicide Squad sequel for Warner Bros. and a Peacemaker spin-off series for HBO Max, but that hasn't stopped the director from taking some time off to answer questions on social media. In his most recent conversation with online fans, Gunn revealed one of the items he kept from the set of Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
While addressing one fan on Instagram, Gunn revealed that he keeps souvenirs from all of his films. When it comes to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Gunn stated, "I have the original Orb & power stone from Guardians Vol 1, Ego's car from Vol 2, Bill Pardy's badge from Slither & much more."
The vehicle Gunn mentions is a 1978 Mustang II King Cobra T-Top, seen being driven by a de-aged Kurt Russel at the beginning of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. In that film, we see the classic muscle car being driven by the character Ego, played by Russel, through the Missouri countryside with Star Lord's mother (Laura Haddock) as they sing along to the classic 1972 song "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" by American pop-rock band Looking Glass. The power stone Gunn mentions is one of the six infinity stones used by the villain Thanos to snap half of all life in the universe out of existence in Avengers: Infinity War. The stone first appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy and was used by the misfit superhero team to defeat Ronan The Accuser (Lee Pace). Gunn also name drops one of his first films Slither, a gruesome science fiction horror feature about an alien parasite that wreaks havoc on a small town in South Carolina. Canadian actor Nathan Fillion stars in the film as the town's chief of police Bill Pardy, who's badge Gunn claims to have kept.
Gunn has been consistently active on social media as of late, mostly answering questions related to the Guardians and other Marvel films. On Twitter, he clarified some details about the second film's setting. According to Gunn, "[The] First part takes place in Andromeda. Ego is further away, in a galaxy on the edge of the universe, probably MACS0647-JD or something". In another post, Gunn confirmed that Gamora's death in Avengers: Infinity War was not what he had initially planned for the character, but he was consulted before the character's fate was "set in stone" and that the scene in which she died is probably his favorite of the film.
Gunn has also confirmed via Twitter that he's had some involvement with Marvel Studios' Thor: Love and Thunder since the Guardians will be appearing in that film. The remaining Guardians of the Galaxy team was last seen leaving earth with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) at the end of Avengers Endgame. When asked about how much input he will have on Love and Thunder, Gunn noted that he will not have much to do with the Thor sequel, but praised director Taika Waititi and lauded the script, which he was able to read himself.
Although Gunn has been busy playing around in the DC movie universe, he will be returning to the MCU in the near future. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to begin production in the UK later this year and will be the third film in the series written and directed by Gunn. The director was famously fired from the film after alt-right personality and conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich resurfaced old, offensive jokes made by Gunn. Many fans and those involved with the film came to Gunn's support, as it was clear that he was likely being targeted by the alt-right for his criticism of then-president Donald Trump. After extensive talks with Disney, and a public apology addressing the offensive jokes, Gunn was reinstated as the film's writer and director.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is set to premiere on Disney Plus in 2022.
Source:Â James Gunn/Instagram