Captain America: Civil War is entering the last stages of production, Doctor Strange is currently shooting in London, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has just gotten underway this week in Atlanta. Last year, the Marvel rank and file got a little downtime as they had a lull between Civil War and Strange, but now they’re back in high gear with three movies in production. Kevin Feige wants this to be their new normal, but those guys were already stretched thin making two movies a year. Marvel is not a big studio—it’s even smaller since the internal divorce last year—but they make ma-hoo-sive movies at a break-neck pace. Frankly, I don’t know how they haven’t collectively keeled over already. If you enjoy Marvel movies, you should really take a moment to send some good vibes their way. Those are some of the hardest working people in the industry.
Director James Gunn has been posting photos of Guardians rehearsals on his Instagram, and Chris Pratt posted a photo of Star-Lord’s Walkman and he looks to be in costume, too. In his post he called Guardians Vol. 2 the “greatest spectacle film of all time”. Star Wars might have something to say about that, but it’s certainly way up there. The first Guardians was a surprisingly big hit in 2014—except to me, I called that sh*t months out—and by all accounts, Gunn’s script for Vol. 2 is even better. For all the flak that Marvel takes for how it treats directors—let’s be honest, deservedly so—Gunn has had a comparatively long leash. It’ll be interesting to see what he does with it. With the flood of superhero movies coming over the next three years, individuality and style will matter more than ever.
I would like to point out Gunn’s brother, Sean Gunn, in the rehearsal photos. He has a small role in the movies, and he provides the on-set reference for Rocket Raccoon. But you ought to know him as Kirk from Stars Hollow. I really can’t wait for that Gilmore Girls revival series.
