SAN DIEGO – During Marvel’s busy hour long panel Saturday, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced that “Guardians of the Galaxy” is set for release on August 1, 2014.
The news had been rumored and pretty much confirmed for weeks, but fans and industry observers were curious if Marvel would make more “Guardians” related announcements and they did, to an extent.
Feige revealed the space-faring super-team will include the characters Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Gamora and Drax the Destroyer. The inclusion of Gamora and Drax makes it highly likely Thanos, seen at the end title scene in “The Avengers,” will be somehow involved in the film’s storyline. The god-like super villain has a long history with the “Guardians” in Marvel Comics’ lore, but a direct connection to Gamora and Drax.
A “Guardians” screenplay by Nicole Perlman is known to be favored by the studio brass, but Feige did not touch on whether a director has been brought on board yet. Considering the recent issues Marvel had finding helmers for “Thor: The Darkest World” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” it wasn’t that surprising a filmmaker wasn’t revealed.
Considering Marvel’s recent Comic-Con strategy, it’s safe to assume much more will be revealed about “Guardians” at Comic-Con 2013.