Guardians of the Galaxy Returns and I am Thrilled!

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 has started production and I am thrilled!

The first installment in the franchise, Guardians of the Galaxy, is one of my top ten favorite movies. It is possible that I rate it so highly because I interviewed most of the cast, but whatever the reason, it is a movie that stays close to my heart. We also play the famous Awesome Mixed Tape #1 from the movie in the car all the time. I can’t wait to hear what is on Awesome Mixed Tape #2!

I interviewed a famous actor who played a tree, had very few lines, and was still able to own the role. I got to chat with Chris Pratt and talk about the best role that I have ever seen him in. I got to meet a famous wrestler who sat with us and I wasn’t scared that he was going to body slam me! We talked with Zoe Saldana who was an incredibly determined and strong woman as she explained how she molded her role. We did not interview Rocket Racoon, I mean Bradley Cooper, in what I think is one his best roles! And most importantly, we chatted with James Gunn on the eve of the skyrocketing of his career. Because you see, Guardians of the Galaxy was not expected to be the mega hit that it was. We knew the minute we saw it that it would be huge, it has great writing and the perfect combination of actors! This is why, when it was announced that there would be two more movies in the franchise, I became thrilled!

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is written and directed by James Gunn (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Slither”). The film marks the return of the original Guardians, including Chris Pratt (“Jurassic World,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”) as Peter Quill/Star-Lord;  Zoe Saldana (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”) as Gamora; Dave Bautista (“Spectre,”  “Guardians of the Galaxy”) as Drax; Vin Diesel (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Furious 7”) as the voice of Groot; Bradley Cooper (“Joy,” “American Sniper”) as the voice of Rocket;  Michael Rooker (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Jumper”) as Yondu; Karen Gillan (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The Big Short”) as Nebula; and Sean Gunn (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Gilmore Girls”) as Kraglin. New cast members include Pom Klementieff (“Oldboy”), Elizabeth Debicki (“The Great Gatsby,” “Everest”), Chris Sullivan (“The Knick,” “The Drop”) and Kurt Russell (“The Hateful Eight,” “Furious 7”).

James Gunn wrote and is directing this movie, as he did with the first. I follow him on Facebook and he is great about sharing pictures from the set, this is my favorite taken right from his FB page, just before the announcement of the start of production on Volume 2:

That is Mr. Gunn’s brother on the floor, he takes the space that Rocket Raccoon would be when CGI’d in!

And I met all of the above (except for the brother) plus Vin Diesel at the original press junket for the first movie. Mom and dad bloggers are not the tough interviewers that other media are, we are far more enjoyable to sit with! We had a blast, from Vin walking in twice because he loved our clapping, to Dave Bautista who posted pictures of us on his FB page during the interview, to Chris Pratt who I asked if he had taken dance lessons for the opening scene, and lastly when Zoe sat down and shared how she needed this to be a strong female role. These were some of the best interviews I have ever participated in, I will never forget them and this is perhaps why this movie will always have a huge place in my heart!

I do not know how I will be able to wait for opening day, May 5, 2017!

For more information, please feel free to see my previous interview posts, with great pictures:

Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 1 Review
Zoe Saldana Interview
Chris Pratt Interview
Vin Diesel Interview
Dave Bautista Interview
James Gunn Interview