Kurt Russell has Chris Pratt to thank for his new Guardians of the Galaxy gig after suggesting the veteran actor play his dad in the forthcoming sequel.
Pratt reprises his role as Peter Quill and his superhero alter ego Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and for the follow-up, fans will be introduced to the character’s father, Ego the Living Planet, played by Russell.
But when director James Gunn was on the hunt for the right actor to portray the important part, he admits to Empire magazine that The Hateful Eight star never even came up on his short list.
“He was actually not in my head initially,” Gunn admits, “but one day Chris suggested him, and I would have been really disappointed if he’d said no. He said, ‘Hey, if you have to cast anything, Kurt’s a pretty good way to go.'”
In the first film, released in 2014, Peter is on the search for his father Ego, who is a sentient planet able to produce humanoid anti-body creations to serve him. The sequel will centre on the hero discovering where he came from and the complex relationship between father and son.
“You’re going to see these characters having to endure the realities of being in a family,” Pratt explains to the publication. “You’re talking about a guy who’s been longing to know who his father is for a long time. He’ll discover if that person lives up to the expectations he has in his head.”
In addition to Pratt, his fellow Guardians, played by Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, and Dave Bautista, will return for the highly-anticipated sequel, while other newcomers include Sylvester Stallone, whose character details are being kept under wraps.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is slated to hit cinemas in May, 2017.

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