Earlier this week (on October 11th, International Day of the Girl), director James Gunn took time out of his busy post-production schedule to talk about the topic and how it relates to the highly-anticipated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
“Women all over the world have been pushed to the sidelines in the interests of men, and their person hood is often forgotten or delegitimized. This is true in the realms of politics and education and religion. But it is also true in the realm of STORIES. That is my personal area of expertise, and that is where I believe women – and girls – deserve the fullness of character that men have often received,” he wrote on Facebook. “I have done my best, as a male writer, with varying degrees of success, to bring female characters and female stories to the forefront. Whether they’re protagonists like Ana in Dawn of the Dead or Starla in Slither, comedy relief like Deadly Girl, Nightbird, and Power Chick in The Specials, or the insane, scene-stealing roles usually reserved for men, like Libby in SUPER. And I can’t wait for you all to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, with Gamora, Nebula, and Mantis in action, where we not only pass the Bechdel test, but run over it and back up over it again and again in an eighteen-wheeler truck, and where their stories and the men’s stories don’t come at the expense of each other, but are interwoven in a way to strengthen and optimize all of them.”
Zoe Saldana and Karen Gillan appear as Gamora and Nebula in the upcoming film, with Pom Klementieff starring as Mantis. They’re joined in the film by Chris Pratt as Star-Lord; Dave Bautista (SPECTRE, The Man with the Iron Fists) as Drax; Vin Diesel (xXx, Furious 7) as the voice of Groot; Bradley Cooper (Joy, American Sniper) as the voice of Rocket; Michael Rooker (Slither, Jumper) as Yondu; and Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy, “Gilmore Girls”) as Kraglin. Other new cast members include Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby, Everest), Chris Sullivan (“The Knick,” The Drop) and Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight, Furious 7) as Ego.
Set to the all-new sonic backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is produced by Marvel Studios’ president, Kevin Feige, with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Jonathan Schwartz, Nik Korda and Stan Lee serving as executive producers. Look for it to hit the big screen May 5, 2017.
