Perlman began working on the screenplay in 2009. Producer Kevin Feige first publicly mentioned Guardians of the Galaxy as a potential film in 2010 and Marvel Studios announced it was in active development at the July 2012 San Diego Comic-Con. Gunn was hired to write and direct the film that September. In February 2013, Pratt was hired to play Peter Quill / Star-Lord, and the supporting cast members were subsequently confirmed. Principal photography began in July 2013 at Shepperton Studios in England, with filming continuing in London before wrapping in October 2013. In addition to an original score by Tyler Bates, the soundtrack includes several popular songs from the 1960s and 1970s chosen by Gunn. Post-production was completed on July 7, 2014.
In 1988, following his mother's death, the child Peter Quill is abducted from Earth by the Ravagers, a group of alien thieves and smugglers led by Yondu Udonta. In 2014, on the abandoned planet Morag, Quill steals a mysterious Orb but is attacked by the fanatical Kree renegade Ronan the Accuser, led by Korath. Although Quill escapes with the Orb, Yondu discovers his theft and issues a bounty for his capture, while Ronan sends the assassin Gamora after the Orb.
When Quill attempts to sell the Orb on Xandar, the capital of the Nova Empire, Gamora ambushes him and steals it. A fight ensues, drawing in a pair of bounty hunters: the genetically and cybernetically modified raccoon Rocket and the tree-like humanoid Groot. Nova Corps officers capture the four, detaining them in the Kyln prison. An inmate, Drax the Destroyer, attempts to kill Gamora due to her association with Ronan, who killed his wife and daughter. Quill convinces Drax that Gamora can bring Ronan to him, though Gamora reveals that she has betrayed Ronan, unwilling to let him use the Orb's power. Learning that Gamora intends to sell the Orb to the Collector Taneleer Tivan, Quill, Rocket, Groot, and Drax work together to escape the Kyln in Quill's ship, the Milano.
Ronan meets with Gamora's adoptive father, Thanos, to discuss her betrayal. Quill's group flees to Knowhere. A drunken Drax summons Ronan while the rest of the group meets Tivan. Tivan opens the Orb, revealing an Infinity Stone, an item of immeasurable power that destroys all but the most powerful beings who wield it. Tivan's slave, Carina, grabs the Stone, triggering an explosion that engulfs Tivan's collection. Ronan arrives and easily defeats Drax, while the others flee by ship, pursued by Ronan's followers, including Gamora's adoptive sister Nebula. Nebula destroys Gamora's ship, leaving her floating in space, and Ronan's fighters capture the Orb.
Quill contacts Yondu before following Gamora into space, giving her his helmet to survive; Yondu arrives and retrieves the pair. Rocket, Drax, and Groot threaten to attack Yondu's ship to rescue them, but Quill negotiates a truce, promising the Orb to Yondu. Quill's group agrees that facing Ronan means certain death but that they cannot let him use the Infinity Stone to destroy the galaxy. On Ronan's flagship, the Dark Aster, Ronan embeds the Stone in his warhammer, taking its power for himself. He contacts Thanos, threatening to kill him after first destroying Xandar. Hateful of her adoptive father, Nebula allies with Ronan.
The Ravagers and Quill's group join the Nova Corps to confront the Dark Aster at Xandar, with Quill's group breaching the warship with the Milano. Ronan uses his empowered warhammer to destroy the Nova Corps fleet. Drax kills Korath, and Gamora defeats Nebula, who escapes. However, the group finds themselves outmatched by Ronan's power. Rocket crashes a Ravager ship through the Dark Aster. The damaged Dark Aster crash-lands on Xandar, with Groot sacrificing himself to shield the group. Ronan emerges from the wreck and prepares to destroy Xandar, but Quill distracts him, allowing Drax and Rocket to destroy Ronan's warhammer. Quill grabs the freed Stone, and with Gamora, Drax, and Rocket sharing its burden, uses it to vaporize Ronan.
Quill gives Yondu a container supposedly containing the Stone and gives the real one to the Nova Corps. As the Ravagers leave Xandar, Kraglin Obfonteri remarks that it turned out well that they did not deliver Quill to his father per their contract. Quill's group, now known as the Guardians of the Galaxy, has their criminal records expunged, and Quill learns that he is only half-human, his father being part of an ancient, unknown species. Quill finally opens the last present he received from his mother, a cassette tape filled with her favorite songs. The Guardians leave in the rebuilt Milano along with a potted sapling cut from Groot, which grows into a baby version of him.
In a post-credits scene, Tivan sits in his destroyed archive with two of his living exhibits: a canine cosmonaut and an anthropomorphic duck.[a]
Cast
The cast of Guardians of the Galaxy promoting the film at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con. From top to bottom: Pratt, Saldaña, Bautista, Pace, Rooker, Gillan, Hounsou, and del Toro (scrollable image)
Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord: The half-human, half-alien[8] leader of the Guardians who was abducted from Missouri as a child in 1988 and raised by a group of alien thieves and smugglers called the Ravagers.[9][10][11] About the character, Pratt said, "He had a hard time as a kid, and now he goes around space, making out with hot alien girls and just being a rogue and a bit of a jerk, and through teaming up with these guys, finds a higher purpose for himself".[12] He also added that the character is a mix of Han Solo and Marty McFly.[8] Pratt, who was mostly known for playing supporting characters, including Andy Dwyer on the television series Parks and Recreation, initially turned down the role. Pratt had lost weight to portray fit characters in films such as Moneyball (2011) and Zero Dark Thirty (2012), and had given up ambitions to play the lead role in action films after humbling auditions for Star Trek and Avatar (both 2009). Casting director Sarah Finn suggested Pratt to Gunn, who dismissed the idea despite struggling to cast that role. Despite this, Finn arranged for a meeting between the two, at which point Gunn was immediately convinced that Pratt was perfect for the role. Pratt also won over Feige, despite having gained weight again for Delivery Man (2013).[13] Prior to filming, Pratt underwent a strict diet and training regimen to lose 60 pounds (27 kg) in six months.[14] Pratt signed a multi-film contract with Marvel,[15] and was granted a temporary leave from his work on Parks and Recreation to accommodate his participation in the film.[16]Wyatt Oleff portrays a young Quill.[17]
Zoe Saldaña as Gamora: An orphan from an alien world who seeks redemption for her past crimes. She was trained by Thanos to be his personal assassin.[9][18][19] Saldaña said that she became Gamora through make-up rather than computer-generated imagery (CGI) or performance capture.[20] On taking the role, Saldaña said, "I was just excited to be asked to join by James Gunn and to also play someone green. I've been blue before [in Avatar]".[21] Saldaña described Gamora as "... a warrior, she's an assassin and she's very lethal, but what saves her is the same thing that can doom her. She has a sense of righteousness. She's a very righteous individual".[8]
Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer: A warrior who seeks to avenge his family's death at the hands of Ronan.[18] On relating to the character, Bautista said, "I can just relate to Drax so much it's not even funny. Just the simple things that we have in common. Simple things like the tattoos, the tragedy—because, you know, I had a bit of tragedy in my life, as well. So it's really easy for me to pull from that". Bautista also said that there was "a lot of comic relief to Drax", but the character was not aware of it. Bautista stated that he did not do much preparation for the role, because "Luckily, for me, I'm a lifelong athlete and I adapted real quick".[22] Bautista's makeup took approximately four hours to apply, though it could be removed in just 90 minutes.[23] Drax has various scarring patterns on his body, which replace the simple tattoos from the comics, each having a specific story. Additionally, his skin tone was changed from the bright green in the comics to a muddier gray, to avoid visual similarities to the Hulk.[24]
Vin Diesel as Groot: A tree-like humanoid,[25] he is the accomplice of Rocket. Diesel stated that he provided the voice and motion capture for Groot, after originally being in talks to star in a new Phase Three Marvel film.[26][27][28] Diesel also provided Groot's voice for several foreign-language releases of the film.[29] Krystian Godlewski portrayed the character on set, though his acting was not used in the final character CGI.[30][31] On the character, which Gunn based on his dog,[32] Gunn said, "All the Guardians start out the movie as bastards—except Groot. He's an innocent. He's a hundred percent deadly and a hundred percent sweet. He's caught up in Rocket's life, really". Gunn added that the design and movement of Groot took "the better part of a year" to create.[33] Gunn added, "The ways in which Vin Diesel says, 'I am Groot,' I am astounded. All of the 'I am Groots' that were earlier voices didn't sound very good at all ... Vin came in and in one day, laid down all these 'I am Groot' tracks, and he's a perfectionist. He made me explain to him with ever [sic] 'I am Groot,' exactly what he was saying ... It was amazing when we first put that voice in there how much the character changed and how much he influenced the character".[34] Regarding the limited words used by Groot, Diesel said in many ways this was, "... the most challenging thing to ask an actor to do".[35] Diesel found an emotional note in his performance, invoking the death of his friend and Fast & Furious co-star Paul Walker, saying, "This was in December [2013], and the first time I came back to dealing with human beings after dealing with death, so playing a character who celebrates life in the way Groot does was very nice".[36] Groot's form and size-changing abilities are seen, with Gunn stating that he has the ability to grow in the film.[37]
Bradley Cooper as Rocket: A genetically-engineered raccoon-based bounty hunter, mercenary, and master of weapons and battle tactics.[9][25][38][39] Gunn worked with live raccoons to get the correct feel for the character, and to make sure it was "not a cartoon character", saying, "It's not Bugs Bunny in the middle of the Avengers, it's a real, little, somewhat mangled beast that's alone. There's no one else in the universe quite like him, he's been created by these guys to be a mean-ass fighting machine".[40] Out of his original feelings that a talking raccoon could look a bit goofy in a superhero film, Gunn came up with a tragic origin story for Rocket that made him the "saddest creature" in the universe; said backstory would be eventually explored in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023).[41] Gunn also based the character on himself.[32] Describing Rocket in relation to the rest of the Guardians, Cooper said, "I think Rocket is dynamic. He's the sort of Joe Pesci in Goodfellas (1990) guy".[42] Cooper voiced Rocket, while Sean Gunn (James' younger brother) stood in for the character during filming.[43] James Gunn said that for the role of Rocket, some physical movements from Cooper, including facial expressions and hand movements, were recorded as potential references for the animators,[44] though much of Sean Gunn's acting is used throughout the film.[30] Sean noted they "kind of stumbled" into the process of him performing on set since they "weren't sure how we were going to create that character". The same process continued to be used for all subsequent appearances of Rocket.[45] Before Cooper was cast, James Gunn said that it was a challenge finding a voice for Rocket, that he was looking for someone who could balance "the fast-talking speech patterns that Rocket has, but also can be funny, because he is really funny. But also has the heart that Rocket has. Because there are actually some pretty dramatic scenes with Rocket".[46]
Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser: A Kree zealot and war criminal who agrees to retrieve an artifact for Thanos in exchange for the annihilation of his mortal enemies, the Xandarians. Ronan and his Sakaaran army[47] hunt down the Guardians when they interfere with his goals.[9][48] Describing Ronan, Gunn said, "He is the primary villain, and he is a really twisted guy, he has a really religious bent in this film. He has a very sick and twisted view of what morality is; strength is virtue and weakness is sin and that is what he lives by, and I think he is very scary because of his beliefs, which are real to him".[49] Pace, who originally auditioned for Peter Quill,[50] described Ronan as a "psycho" and a "monster".[51]
Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta: A blue-skinned bandit who is the leader of the Ravagers and a paternal figure to Quill.[9][52] Yondu helps Quill to steal the orb before Quill betrays him, leaving Yondu and the Ravagers to chase the Guardians. On the character, Rooker said, he has "some interesting issues—not a good guy, not a bad guy. There's hope and there's a heart inside Yondu". Gunn created the film's version of the character specifically with Rooker in mind, while borrowing the character's mohawk and use of a whistle-controlled arrow from the comics. Rooker fully committed to the role once he knew his role on the TV series The Walking Dead would be ending.[53] Rooker's makeup took approximately four hours to apply.[54]
Karen Gillan as Nebula: An adopted daughter of Thanos who was raised with Gamora as siblings and is a loyal lieutenant in the employ of Ronan and Thanos.[9][11] About the character, Gillan said, "She is the female villain of the film ... She is very sadistic and evil, but I like to think for a very valid reason".[55] She also added, "I think she's a really interesting character. What I like to play around with is how jealous she is. She's Gamora's sister, and there's a lot of sibling rivalry. That's the most interesting aspect to me, because jealousy can consume you and turn you bitter, and ugly. And she's a total sadist, so that's fun too".[56] Gunn and Gillan worked to create Nebula's voice as a simultaneous impression of Marilyn Monroe and Clint Eastwood.[57] Gillan researched the ancient Spartans, shaved off her hair and trained for two months for the role.[56][58] The character's makeup took approximately four-and-a-half hours to be applied.[56]
Djimon Hounsou as Korath: A Kree[47] ally of Ronan who is a feared intergalactic hunter.[9] As to why he took the role, Hounsou said, "I have a four-year old son who loves superheroes from Spider-Man to Iron Man to Batman. He's got all the costumes. One day he looks at me and says 'Dad, I want to be light-skinned so I could be Spider-Man. Spider-Man has light skin.' That was sort of a shock. This is why I am excited to be a part of the Marvel Universe, so I could hopefully provide that diversity in the role of the superhero".[59]
Glenn Close as Irani Rael: The leader of the Nova Corps, known as Nova Prime, whose mission is to protect the citizens of the Nova Empire and keep peace.[9][61][62] Close stated that she "had always wanted to be in a movie like this", and that it would be "the most fun to play something like the Judi Dench [as M] or Samuel L. Jackson [as Nick Fury] role".[63] She said that she took the role because she "love[s] to do stuff that's different" and wanted to show that she "[has] always been up for anything".[64] She also stated that her contract has "several" films on it, and that she would be open to working on other Marvel Studios films in addition to returning for Guardians sequels.[63]
Benicio del Toro as Taneleer Tivan / The Collector: An obsessive keeper of the largest collection of interstellar fauna, relics, and species in the galaxy who operates out of a place in space named Knowhere.[9][61][65] Describing del Toro's performance, Gunn said, "He's like an outer-space Liberace. That's what it says in the script, which he's kind of doing".[44] On bringing the character to life, del Toro said, "What James [Gunn] wanted, that I found out little by little as I was doing it, is that he wanted me to explore and just keep pushing the character and keep creating [him] as I was in front of the camera".[66]
I think anybody ... who would have said that this would make a great main movie would have been laughed off. It's such an unlikely thing to do. So I think it's lovely to work on something and expose its potential to the point where a company like Marvel will say, 'Yes, this makes sense.'
—Dan Abnett, co-writer of the 2008 Guardians of the Galaxy relaunch, on the project[94]
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige first mentioned Guardians of the Galaxy as a potential film at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con, stating, "There are some obscure titles, too, like Guardians of the Galaxy. I think they've been revamped recently in a fun way in the [comic] book."[95] Feige reiterated that sentiment in a September 2011 issue of Entertainment Weekly, saying, "There's an opportunity to do a big space epic, which Thor (2011) sort of hints at, in the cosmic side" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Feige added, should the film be made, it would feature an ensemble of characters, similar to X-Men (2000) and The Avengers (2012).[96]
Feige announced that the film was in active development at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con during the Marvel Studios panel, with an intended release date of August 1, 2014. He said the film's titular team would consist of the characters Star-Lord, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Groot, and Rocket.[97] Two pieces of concept art were also displayed, one of Rocket Raccoon, and one featuring the entire team.[98] In August 2012, James Gunn entered talks to direct the film, beating out other contenders, including future MCU directors Peyton Reed and the duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.[99]The Avengers director Joss Whedon, who signed a deal to creatively consult on all of the films leading up to The Avengers sequel (2015),[100] was enthusiastic about the selection of Gunn to direct, saying "James [Gunn] is what makes me think it will work ... He is so off the wall, and so crazy, but so smart, such a craftsman and he builds from his heart. He loves the raccoon. Needs the raccoon ... He has a very twisted take on it, but it all comes from a real love for the material. It's going to be hard for [the human characters] to keep up".[101]
Writing
Nicole Perlman, who was enrolled in Marvel's screenwriting program in 2009,[102] was offered several of their lesser known properties to base a screenplay on.[103] Out of those, Perlman chose Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning's Guardians of the Galaxy, due to her interest in space and science fiction,[103] adding, "I think [Marvel] were a little taken aback when I chose Guardians, because there were ones that would make a lot more sense if you were a romantic-comedy writer or something like that".[104] Perlman wrote 10 drafts between 2009 and 2011, in which she tried various combinations of characters for the team, including the original members in the comics, before settling on Abnett and Lanning's run since theirs "were the most fun".[105] Early drafts centered on Nova, before Nate Moore, the head of the studios' writing program, suggested it change to Star-Lord.[106] Subsequent drafts saw Star-Lord reimagined to be closer to a Han Solo-type character; the inclusion of 1980s and 1990s music from Perlman's childhood, which would become the 1970s and 1980s pop mixtape in Gunn's later drafts; and the eventual opening scene of the film on a desolate planet that harkened back to a memory Perlman had at Disneyland viewing a drained-out Submarine Voyage.[105] Gunn was brought in in early 2012 to contribute to the script,[104] eventually rewriting the script entirely because "it didn't work" for him; he would use the film The Dirty Dozen (1967) as a reference to convey his ideas of the film to Marvel.[107]
Gunn later explained that Perlman's draft was very different from the script he used during filming, including a different story, character arcs and no Walkman; he stated, "In Nicole's script everything is pretty different ... it's not about the same stuff. But that's how the WGA works."[108] The 2012 screenplay also had J'son as an emperor and Peter Quill / Star-Lord's father just like in the comic books. When Marvel asked Joss Whedon to revise the script ahead of Age of Ultron, Whedon particularly detested this reveal and suggested Marvel to not make Peter part of royalty;[109] Whedon suggested Gunn to make the story "weirder" after reading the early draft.[110] Throughout the writing process, there was some debate on whether keeping Rocket as a member of the Guardians or even featuring the character at all in the film due to concerns that he could come off as "too cartoonish", hence why a few drafts excluded the character, but Perlman felt that the character's inclusion was necessary and was happy at Feige letting her keep him in the script due to him being a great Rocket fan.[111] In August 2012, Marvel Studios hired writer Chris McCoy to rewrite Perlman's script,[112] but was not credited in the final film.[61]
Gunn revealed that character introductions were the "hardest scenes to crack", with Thanos' introduction being the most difficult. He felt that "having Thanos be in that scene was more helpful to the [MCU] than it was to Guardians of the Galaxy," yet he still wanted Thanos in the film, without "[belittling] the actual antagonist of the film, which is Ronan". To solve his dilemma, Gunn chose to have Ronan kill "The Other", Thanos' vizier, saying, "I thought that was interesting, because we've had the Other, who's obviously very powerful even in comparison to Loki, and then we see Ronan wipe his ass with him. So that I liked, but even that was sort of difficult, because it played as funnier when I first wrote it, and the humor didn't work so much".[113] Perlman's original script had Thanos as the main villain of the film, but Whedon asked Gunn if he could not have Thanos as the main antagonist and Gunn agreed, reducing Thanos' role in the plot.[114]
In January 2013, filming was scheduled to take place at Shepperton Studios in London, United Kingdom,[124] and Marvel Studios announced that the film would be released in 3D.[125]Victoria Alonso, an executive producer on the film, said that filming would begin in June. She also said that both Rocket Raccoon and Groot would be created through a combination of CGI and motion capture, going on to say that "You can't do any motion capture with a raccoon—they won't let you put the suit on. But we will do rotomation, probably, for some of the behavior ... we definitely will have performers to emulate what James Gunn will lead to be, the behavior and the performance. He's very clear on where he wants to take the characters."[126] In March 2013, Feige discussed Guardians of the Galaxy in relation to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, saying, "It's much more of a standalone film. It takes place in the same universe. And when we've been on the other side of that universe in other movies, you might see those characteristics in Guardians, but the Avengers are not involved with what's happening out there at this time." Feige also stated that 95% of the film would take place in space.[127] In mid-March, Dave Bautista was signed to play Drax the Destroyer.[128] Other actors who had been considered for the role included Isaiah Mustafa, Brian Patrick Wade, Jason Momoa,[128] and Chadwick Boseman.[129] Momoa chose not to continue after auditioning, feeling the character was too similar to other parts he had played in the past, and he did not want to further add to his typecasting as the "brute" character.[130] By the following week, sculptor Brian Muir, who sculpted Darth Vader's mask for Star Wars (1977), was revealed to be working on the film.[131]
In early April 2013, Zoe Saldaña entered into negotiations to star as Gamora in the film, and it was confirmed she had been cast later that month.[71][132]Amanda Seyfried had been offered the role, but declined due to the excessive hours of make-up required for the role, and her uncertainty over the film's commercial viability.[133]Lupita Nyong'o also auditioned for the role.[129] Also in April, Michael Rooker joined the film's cast as Yondu Udonta,[52] and it was announced that Ophelia Lovibond had been cast in a supporting role.[71] By this point in time, Lee Pace was in final negotiations to play the villain of the film.[134] In May, Marvel offered John C. Reilly the role of Rhomann Dey.[135] At the same time, it was disclosed that filmmakers were looking at actors including Hugh Laurie, Alan Rickman, and Ken Watanabe, for another role, and that Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely were providing finishing touches to the script.[135] A few days later, Glenn Close was cast as the head of the Nova Corps in the film,[62] followed shortly by the casting of Karen Gillan as the film's lead female villain.[136] By June 2013, Benicio del Toro was cast in the film, as part of a multi-film deal with Marvel Studios.[65] Later in the month, it was confirmed that Reilly had been cast as Rhomann Dey.[60]
Special effects makeup designer David White took head and body casts of actors, such as Bautista, to experiment with materials used to create the characters. White said, "James always pushed for practical and makeup effects. He wanted, like me, to see the real deal there on set." White was careful not to use "modern" creature designs to ensure they did not fall short in Gunn's uniquely envisioned world. White and his team created upwards of 1,000 prosthetic makeup applications and 2,000 molds of different-colored aliens.[137] For the specific aesthetic look to the film, Gunn wanted to create "a colorful science-fiction world", and include elements of 1950s and '60s pulp movies, citing the Ravagers' spaceships, which he compared to muscle cars, as an example of the latter.[138] Science fiction artist Chris Foss inspired and helped design the final look of some of the spacecrafts that appear in the film.[139] The Mass Effect video game series, Flash Gordon, Farscape and Star Wars were primary inspirations for Gunn on the film.[140]
Filming
Principal photography began around July 6, 2013, in London, United Kingdom,[58] under the working title of Full Tilt.[8] Filming took place at Shepperton Studios and Longcross Studios.[124][141] Later in July, Gunn and the film's cast flew from London to attend San Diego Comic-Con, where it was revealed that Pace would play Ronan the Accuser, Gillan would be Nebula, del Toro as the Collector, and that Djimon Hounsou had been cast as Korath.[58][61] Close was later revealed to play Nova Prime Irani Rael.[9][61] Also at San Diego Comic-Con, Feige stated that Thanos would be a part of the film as the "mastermind".[142] On August 11, 2013, filming began at London's Millennium Bridge,[143] which was selected as a double for Xandar.[24] In August 2013, Marvel announced that Bradley Cooper would voice Rocket.[38] On September 3, 2013, Gunn said that filming was "a little over half[way]" complete.[144] Also in September, Vin Diesel stated that he was voicing Groot.[28] However, Marvel did not confirm Diesel's involvement in the film at the time.[43][44][145] On October 12, 2013, Gunn announced on social media that filming had completed.[146]
Director of photographyBen Davis used Arri Alexa XT cameras for the film, saying, "I'm traditionally a photochemical fan, but going with the digital format was the right way for this movie ... the Alexa [provided] the right look for this particular film". During the opening scenes in the 1980s, Davis chose JDC Cooke Xtal (Crystal) Express anamorphic prime lenses because they "had more anamorphic artifacts and aberrations, which [he] felt added something". Davis used spherical Panavision Primos for the rest of the film. Additionally, Davis worked closely with production designer Charles Wood to achieve the correct lighting looks for each scene.[141] Dealing with two fully CGI characters forced Davis to shoot scenes multiple times, usually once with the references for the characters and once without them in the shot.[147]
Gunn revealed that his brother, Sean Gunn, took on multiple roles during the filming process, such as standing in for Rocket, which he noted was beneficial for the other actors, including Saldaña, Pratt, and Bautista, who responded positively to Sean and his on-set performances.[30] Sean was first hired to play Kraglin Obfonteri, but James hired him as a stand-in on set for Rocket because he knew he could trust in him until they could figure out how to portray Rocket, though they knew Sean would not voice the character, with Cooper being cast to voice Rocket very late in development.[148] Special effects makeup designer David White made two life-size versions of Rocket and a bust of Groot as aids for visual effects, with White saying, "it gives [the filmmakers] a good indication of where visual effects needs to pick up and whether Rocket can actually reach certain things or use certain devices".[31] These busts were also used to see how the on-set lighting would affect the characters, to assist with the visual effects lighting process.[31]
In January 2015, Disney revealed that the film came in "slightly over the agreed budget" at $232.3 million, with Disney receiving a rebate of $36.4 million from the British government.[2] It was previously estimated to have had a $170 million budget.[149]
Post-production
In November 2013, Gunn stated that he attempted to use as many practical effects as possible while filming to aid the use of CGI and motion capture during post-production, saying, "Our sets are enormous. We have a prison that is 350,000 pounds of steel. Anybody who knows me knows I love the mix of practical and CGI effects ... I can't wait for people to see it, because it's astonishingly beautiful."[150] After the release of Thor: The Dark World, Feige stated that the Infinity Stones would be a focus in the film, as well as going forward into the Phase Three slate of films within the MCU.[151] Gunn originally wrote the scene of the Collector explaining about the origins of the Infinity Stones in one hour and a half, only to then be told by Marvel Studios that they were incidentally thinking about including the Power Stone in his film, an idea that Gunn found cool to use, thus subsequent MCU filmmakers involved in the long-planned story of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) based themselves on Gunn's backstory for the Stones.[152] In a separate interview for The Dark World in November, Feige added that a third, unknown Infinity Stone would be seen in the film,[153] referred to as the "Power Stone" by the Collector.[154][155] The mid-credits scene in The Dark World revealed Lovibond's role as the Collector's slave, later named Carina.[72] In December 2013, Marvel confirmed that Diesel would voice Groot.[156]
A few weeks of additional filming, involving the film's main cast and crew, occurred in March 2014 at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California.[157][158][159] In April 2014, Gunn described Thanos as the "head of the snake" in the film, and confirmed he would appear via performance capture.[11] In May 2014, Gunn stated that the film features an "enormous" amount of smaller and minor characters from the Marvel Universe, adding that he felt the film had the most characters overall of any Marvel Studios film to date.[160] Costume supervisor Dan Grace added to this by saying, "We really, really get the feeling of the scale and scope of the galaxy. We visit five planets, we see a hundred different races." The film introduces the alien race Sakaaran, who act as Ronan's mercenaries, as a replacement to the Badoon, as the Badoon film rights belonged to 20th Century Fox.[47]
By the end of May, Josh Brolin was revealed as the voice of Thanos,[67][68] with Feige confirming in July that Brolin also provided the performance capture for the character.[69] Whedon assisted Gunn as well in casting Brolin.[161] Thanos communicates via hologram for much of the film, though he does appear in a scene with Ronan and Nebula.[154] In June 2014, Feige added that Thanos and his followers are "the biggest piece of connective tissue that will eventually lead us back into Avengers films in the future."[162] On casting Brolin, Feige said,
We reached out to him and it was one of those things that does not happen all the time but when it does it's very nice, where he was totally intrigued. He was a fan of what we did, he met with Jeremy Latcham in a hotel in London and learned about the characters a little bit. I spoke to him on the phone a few times. We ran it by James who loved it, ran it by Joss [Whedon] who loved it because Thanos is in this universe because of Avengers. Then we shot him and recorded for it.[69]
On July 7, 2014, Gunn announced on social media that he had completed work on the film.[163] In August, regarding the post-credit scene, Gunn revealed that the scene did not involve Howard the Duck when it was originally filmed, rather he was added during post-production,[164] a decision made by "some combination of [Gunn] and the editor Fred Raskin".[80] As the decision to add the character was made late in the post-production process, he had to be designed that day, before being handed off to Sony Pictures Imageworks to animate. Also in August, regarding the pre-credit scene of Baby Groot dancing, Gunn stated that he himself danced to provide motion reference for the animators, and that the decision was made to place the scene before the credits, rather than during or after them, because of positive responses from a test audience, which made Marvel and Gunn feel that they did not want "people walking out and missing this thing".[80] Another late change halfway in production came when Marvel decided that the Reality Stone would be red in The Dark World. Because the Power Stone was originally meant to be red as well, Gunn was asked to change its color from red to purple, which he accepted as, by his own admission, liked that color more.[165] Marvel used design firm Sarofsky once again for the film's title sequences, after liking their work for Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). Sarofsky developed a custom typeface based on the font used in the teaser posters for the opening credits, which was tinted orange to offer a better contrast to the film's blue and gray imagery. One of the typography solutions offered before the final product wound up being repurposed as the locator cards seen throughout the film.[166]
The film featured 2,750 visual effects shots,[168] which make up approximately 90% of the film.[167] The visual effects were created by: Moving Picture Company (MPC), who worked on creating Groot, as well as Morag, Xandar, the Dark Aster and the final battle on Xandar;[167]Framestore, who worked on creating Rocket, extending the Kyln prison set and constructing Knowhere;[167][169]Luma Pictures, who worked on Thanos;[167]Method Studios, who worked on creating the Orb opening and revealing its powers, as well as the holographic displays at the Nova Corps command center;[167] Lola VFX; Cantina Creative; Sony Pictures Imageworks, who worked on Howard the Duck and creating the Dark Aster shots with MPC;[80][167] CoSA VFX; Secret Lab; Rise Visual Effects Studios; and Technicolor VFX.[170][171] Pre- and post-visualizations were done by Proof and The Third Floor, with Proof also contributing to the creation of Rocket and Groot.[167]
Producer Nik Korda noted how helpful it was to have Sean Gunn and Krystian Godlewski portray Rocket and Groot on set, as it provided references for lighting and on-set performances to the animators.[31] When creating Groot, MPC realized early on that his eyes would be essential in maintaining the character's human qualities, as his face couldn't move in the way that humans' do. MPC visual effects supervisor Nicolas Aithadi explained that, "When you look at humans what makes the eyes interesting is the imperfections—trying to make these two irises not aimed at the same place—trying to make them strange and look more human."[167] Textures for Groot came from a number of sources, including inspiration from a botanical garden in London, and the character was modeled as individual branches, rigged individually, to simulate a muscle system for the character.[167]
One of the major challenges for Framestore in creating Rocket was his fur. Framestore's Rachel Williams explained that, since "raccoon fur is made up from a layer of short fine hair and a layer of longer thicker hairs", these layers were separated and animated individually, removing the need to use "guide hairs" to control the movements of thick sections of fur.[167] Framestore and MPC worked closely sharing assets, to ensure shots of Rocket at MPC would match the Rocket created by Framestore, and vice versa for when Groot was needed by the other studio.[167]
To give Thanos "the performance and the weight that he deserved", Luma Pictures created a new facial animation system to re-create Josh Brolin as a fully CG character, using his "eyes, some of his cheek, how his muscles move when he talks". The character's large jaw, and the deep grooves that run down his face, had "to be carefully planned out with the movement of his face."[167]
Music
In August 2013, Gunn revealed that Tyler Bates would be composing the film's score. Gunn stated that Bates would write some of the score first so that he can film to the music, as opposed to scoring to the film.[172] In February 2014, Gunn revealed that the film would incorporate songs from the 1960s and 1970s, such as "Hooked on a Feeling", on a mixtape in Quill's Walkman, which acts as a way for him to stay connected to the Earth, home, and family he lost.[173] In May 2014, Gunn added that using the songs from the '60s and '70s were "cultural reference points", saying, "It's striking the balance throughout the whole movie, through something that is very unique, but also something that is easily accessible to people at the same time. The music and the Earth stuff is one of those touchstones that we have to remind us that, yeah, [Quill] is a real person from planet Earth who's just like you and me. Except that he's in this big outer space adventure."[160]
When choosing the songs, Gunn revealed he "started the process by reading the Billboard charts for all of the top hits of the '70s", downloading "a few hundred" songs that were "semi-familiar—ones you recognize but might not be able to name off the top of your head" and creating a playlist for all the songs that would fit the film tonally. He added that he "would listen to the playlist on my speakers around the house—sometimes I would be inspired to create a scene around a song, and other times I had a scene that needed music and I would listen through the playlist, visualizing various songs, figuring out which would work the best."[174] Most of the songs were played on set to help "the actors and the camera operators find the perfect groove for the shot", with David Bowie's "Moonage Daydream" the only song chosen and added during post-production. Gunn also said that the opening scenes were designed with "Hooked on a Feeling" in mind; however, once Gunn discovered "Come and Get Your Love", the song used in the sequence, Gunn felt it was a "better fit."[174]
Three albums were released by Hollywood Records on July 29, 2014: The film's score, Guardians of the Galaxy (Original Score), which features the music composed by Bates for the film;[175]Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), which comprises the twelve songs from Quill's mixtape; and a deluxe edition featuring both albums.[176] By August 2014, the album which mirrored Quill's mixtape had reached the top of the Billboard 200 chart, becoming the first soundtrack album in history consisting entirely of previously released songs to top the chart.[177] Hollywood Records also released a cassette version of the Awesome Mix Vol. 1 soundtrack on November 28, 2014, as an exclusive to Record Store Day participants. The cassette, which is the first cassette Disney Music Group has released since 2003, comes with a digital download version of the album.[178]
Marketing
Promotion
The cast and crew of Guardians of the Galaxy at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con (L-R: producer Kevin Feige, Bautista, director James Gunn, del Toro, Saldaña, Hounsou, Pace, Rooker, Gillan, and Pratt)
At Disney's D23 Expo in August 2013, Feige presented footage first revealed at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2013.[179] The first trailer for the film debuted on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on February 18, 2014, with a special introduction by Chris Pratt.[10] The Los Angeles Times said the trailer delivered "some spirited alien action, with exploding spaceships and muscled bad guys, not to mention a few purely comedic moments," while spotlighting "a number of the offbeat characters."[180]Total Film noted the similarity of the trailer's opening clip to the 1981 film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, which Gunn stated was a big influence for Guardians,[181] and made note of the "edgy" humor used throughout.[182]Total Film also noted the similarity of the trailer to the one debuted at Comic-Con and D23, with a few new shots featuring Nebula and the Collector.[183][184] Social media response to the trailer was strong, with 88,000 mentions across Twitter, Facebook and various blogs in a 12-hour period. Those numbers were comparable to trailers for other superhero films like Man of Steel and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and noteworthy for the late night-time period in which it premiered.[185] The trailer received 22.8 million views in the 24 hours after it debuted.[186] After the debut of the trailer, Blue Swede's version of "Hooked on a Feeling", which was prominently used throughout the trailer, went up 700% in sales the following day.[187] The line from Serafinowicz's character, "What a bunch of a-holes", was only intended to be featured in the trailers, but due to its positive reception, was included in the final cut of the film.[80] Gunn noted that a different teaser was almost released "that was very cheesy [and] sold the movie as something different than what it was", as it tested better than the version that was ultimately released. Gunn credited the marketing teams at Marvel and Disney for having faith in the latter version, despite how it tested, over choosing the version that would have mis-marketed the film.[188]
In March 2014, the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode "T.A.H.I.T.I." introduced the Kree race to the MCU, which began a storyline that recurs throughout the series and involves finding a hidden Kree city.[189][190] Also in March, ABC aired a one-hour television special titled, Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe, which included a sneak peek of Guardians of the Galaxy.[191] Starting in April 2014, a two-part comic was released, titled Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Prelude. Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, with art by Wellington Alves, the first issue focused on the background of Nebula and her bond with Thanos; the second issue featured the adventures of Rocket and Groot before they join forces with the other Guardians.[192] In June 2014, Mike Pasciullo, senior VP of Marvel Studios, described the marketing approach for Guardians of the Galaxy by saying that Marvel had "built a robust marketing program for the theatrical release that carefully integrates traditional advertising, social media, digital marketing, strategic promotional partnerships, organic entertainment integrations [and] publicity."[193]
In July 2014, Marvel launched a viral marketing campaign for the film called "Galaxy Getaways", a fictional travel website that allows users to book passage to some of the planets depicted in the film, including Xandar, Morag, and Knowhere.[194] Beginning July 4, 2014, a sneak peek of the film was presented at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios in the Magic Eye and ABC Sound Studio theaters, respectively.[195] Approximately 14 minutes of the film was screened on July 7, 2014, in IMAX 3D in the United States, and 3D theaters and IMAX 3D in Canada, along with two trailers.[196][197] The screening was met with positive reviews, praising the humor, the 3D, and IMAX conversion, and Cooper's portrayal of Rocket.[197][198][199][200] However, it was criticized for beginning partway through the film, not allowing viewers to easily acclimate to the film's tone,[198][201] and for how the general audience might respond to a film within the MCU without established characters making appearances.[201]
On July 12, 2014, Gunn and the actors from the film promoted Guardians of the Galaxy at the Lido 8 Cineplex in Singapore.[202] On July 17, 2014, Disney Interactive released an action RPG video game titled Guardians of the Galaxy: The Universal Weapon for iOS, Android and Windows devices.[203] The game's original story was written by Dan Abnett, and was meant to complement the film.[204] On July 21, Pratt, Saldaña, Bautista, Diesel, and Cooper appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to promote the film and debut some additional exclusive content.[205] On July 29, Pratt and Saldaña rang the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange as part of the film's marketing strategy.[206]
On August 14, Marvel released the scene of Groot dancing,[207] which was shortly followed by an announcement from Funko that they were releasing a toy "Dancing Groot". The Hollywood Reporter noted that the quick release of the scene from Marvel two weeks after the film's theatrical release, along with the rush announcement from Funko, indicated the popularity of both the character and the scene.[208] The scene also produced the word "grooting", coined by Michael Rooker, in which a person dances similar to Groot, with the word entering the social media lexicon.[209] Also in August, Marvel held a special screening of the film at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where Pratt dressed as Star-Lord to entertain the patients.[210]
Merchandise
In June 2012, Marvel filed eleven trademark applications for Guardians of the Galaxy, covering a variety of consumer products, from video games to cosmetics.[211]Disney Consumer Products partnered with Mad Engine, C-Life, New Era, Hasbro, Disguise, Rubies, Sideshow Collectibles, Lego, KIDdesigns, iHome, Funko, Freeze, Fast Forward, and Innovative Designs to produce merchandise for the film, with releases starting in June 2014.[193][212][213][214] Mad Engine and C-Life were partnered as the core apparel outfitters, producing a line of T-shirts and fleece jackets, while New Era produced headwear and hats.[212] Hasbro produced toys for the film; Disguise and Rubies produced the costumes; and Sideshow Collectibles was given charge of the collectibles.[193][212] Lego announced three toy sets based on scenes from the film,[213] while iHome created character speakers, Funko made vinyl bobbleheads, Freeze crafted 1980s-inspired apparel, and backpacks and stationery were made by Fast Forward and Innovative Designs.[193] Despite first films in a potential new franchise usually being off-limits to licensees, Marvel used Iron Man's success as evidence of unknown characters becoming hits with audiences to attract partnerships. Licensees embraced Rocket as the film's potential breakout character, with Drax and Gamora being used for older demographics; Star-Lord's obsession with 1980s nostalgia, including his "Awesome Mix Vo. 1" cassette, has also served as a basis for tie-in products.[193] In August 2014, Funko announced a toy based on "Dancing Groot",[208] while in October 2014, Marvel and KID designs announced a replica of dancing Groot, for release in December 2014.[215]
In December 2014, Disney made a second marketing push, to coincide with the film's home media release with additional merchandise. Merchandise partners included: KID designs with its replica dancing Groot; Funko's Fabrikations line with a plush Rocket; Mattel's Hot Wheels character cars; C-Life, Hybrid-Jem Sportswear, Freeze, MZ Berger, Accutime, AME and Her Universe with apparel; ThinkGeek with jewelry and watches; American Greetings with cards; Jay Franco with homegoods; and Vandor with drinkware. Additional partners included Mad Engine, Just Play, and Dragon Models. Paul Gitter, senior vice-president of Marvel licensing at Disney Consumer Products said, "The demand for Guardians of the Galaxy merchandise has been truly out of this world. Our merchandising and retail partners are doing a tremendous job of providing creative and innovative ways for fans to continue interacting with these popular characters and showcase their fandom year round."[216]
Release
Theatrical
Karen Gillan at the London premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy
The world premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy was held on July 21, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.[205][217] The film was released theatrically in the United Kingdom on July 31, 2014,[160] and in the United States on August 1,[97] in 3D and IMAX 3D.[125][218] The film was released in 4,080 theaters in the United States, making it the widest August release, breaking the five-year record held by G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (4,007 theaters). The breakdown of venues was: 354 IMAX screens, 3,200 3D screens, 350 large format screens, and 240 D-Box screens.[219] In its sixth weekend, Guardians of the Galaxy was playing in 69 territories, its most.[220] The film is part of Phase Two of the MCU.[221]
In June 2014, Gunn stated that the film had always been planned as a 3D film, and "Unlike many directors, I've been actively involved with converting every shot to 3D, making sure it works perfectly for the story and the film, making sure it's spectacular and immersive without being silly, distracting, or overly showy." Gunn also revealed that the IMAX 3D version would include shifting aspect ratios, to make the viewing experience "even fuller and more encompassing. I've personally chosen all the places where the changes occur ... The changing aspect ratios in this case are actually a part of the storytelling."[222] In July 2014, Gunn revealed that there were multiple scenes he had cut from the film, and he was investigating how to release them, either in an extended cut of the film, or as bonus features on the film's home media release.[69]
Home media
Guardians of the Galaxy was released for digital download by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on November 18, 2014, and on Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, and DVD on November 24, 2014, in the United Kingdom and on December 9 in the United States.[223][224] The digital and Blu-ray releases include behind-the-scenes featurettes, audio commentary, deleted scenes, a blooper reel, and an exclusive preview of Avengers: Age of Ultron.[224] As of October 4, 2015[update], the film has earned over $118 million in sales in the US.[225]
The film was also included in the 13-disc box set, titled "Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two Collection", which includes all of the Phase Two films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was released on December 8, 2015.[226] The IMAX Enhanced version of the film was made available on Disney+ beginning on November 12, 2021.[227]
Reception
"We wanted to do a space movie, and we loved the Guardians comics. Just the ridiculous pairing of a tree and a raccoon. It was before Star Wars came back with a vengeance. It was like, "Let's try a big space movie, the kind of which hasn't been around for a while." The audience is following us to these places. The success of Ant-Man and Doctor Strange helped us go, "Hey, the audience is with us," and Guardians is probably the best example of how far they [the audience] are willing to go."
—Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, on the success of the first Guardians of the Galaxy film[228]
Box office
Guardians of the Galaxy earned $333.7 million in North America and an estimated $439.6 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $773.3 million.[3] The film became the third-highest-grossing film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, behind The Avengers and Iron Man 3.[229] It was the third-highest-grossing 2014 film (behind Transformers: Age of Extinction and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies) and the highest-grossing superhero film of 2014.[2][230][231] It had a worldwide opening weekend of $160.7 million.[232]Deadline Hollywood calculated the film's net profit as $204.2 million, accounting for production budgets, marketing, talent participations, and other costs; box office grosses and home media revenues placed it fifth on their list of 2014's "Most Valuable Blockbusters".[233]
North America
Guardians of the Galaxy earned $11.2 million on its Thursday night pre-opening, surpassing Captain America: The Winter Soldier's gross ($10.2 million) for the biggest Thursday evening start for a movie in 2014.[234] IMAX accounted for 17% of the total gross ($1.9 million), which was the biggest August pre-release in IMAX format.[219] On its opening day, the film earned $37.8 million, including the Thursday night earnings.[235]Guardians of the Galaxy was the number one movie during its opening weekend and grossed $94.3 million, setting an August weekend record, surpassing The Bourne Ultimatum.[236] During the opening weekend, IMAX earnings amounted to $11.7 million and 3-D showings accounted for 45% of ticket sales. The film's success was partially attributed to its appeal to both genders: the opening-weekend audience was 44% female, which is the biggest proportion ever for a MCU film; 55% of the opening-weekend audience was over the age of 25.[236]
Although the film fell to second place in its second and third weekends, behind Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,[237][238] the film was number one in its fourth, fifth, and sixth weekend.[239][240][241] By doing so, it became the first film in 2014 to top the domestic box office in non-consecutive weeks,[239] the first film of the summer (May–August) to be the number one film in three weekends[242] and the first MCU film to be the top film for four weeks, surpassing Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Avengers, both of which were number one for three weeks, and tied The Dark Knight for the most weeks at number one among comic book-based films.[243] Phil Contrino, vice president and chief analyst of BoxOffice.com felt Guardians success was "unconventional" and was "shattering expectations".[240] The film remained in the top 10 for ten weekends.[244]
The film was the top-grossing film of summer 2014,[245][246] first of 2014 to pass $300 million for its domestic gross,[247] and was the third-highest-grossing domestic film of 2014 (behind American Sniper and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1).[248] The film was said to have "injected life" into an otherwise lower-than-normal summer box office.[240][246][249]
Other territories
Guardians of the Galaxy was released in 42 international markets and grossed $66.4 million on its opening weekend. The biggest debuts came from Russia ($13 million), the United Kingdom ($10.8 million), Mexico ($6.5 million), Brazil ($6.5 million), and South Korea ($4.7 million).[232] The film topped the weekend box office two times, in its first and second weekends.[232][250] In its eleventh weekend, the film opened in China, earning $29.8 million, its largest, and became the third-highest opening in the country for any Disney release, behind Iron Man 3 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and was an all-time industry record opening in October.[251] The following weekend saw an additional $21.3 million from China, making China the highest-grossing market with $69 million.[229] The film's three biggest markets in total earnings were: China ($96.5 million), the UK ($47.4 million), and Russia ($37.5 million).[3]
Critical response
The review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 92%, with an average score of 7.8/10, based on 339 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Guardians of the Galaxy is just as irreverent as fans of the frequently zany Marvel comic would expect—as well as funny, thrilling, full of heart, and packed with visual splendor."[252]Metacritic gave the film a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 53 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[253] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale,[254] while earning an "A+" among under-18 and 25- to 34-year-old viewers.[255]
Scott Foundas of Variety said "James Gunn's presumptive franchise-starter is overlong, overstuffed, and sometimes too eager to please, but the cheeky comic tone keeps things buoyant—as does Chris Pratt's winning performance", and praised the film's look created by cinematographer Ben Davis, production designer Charles Wood, and special effects makeup designer David White.[170] Justin Lowe of The Hollywood Reporter also praised the film's look, and felt "A well-matched ensemble rises to the challenge of launching a heroic origin film with distinctive style, abundant thrills, and no shortage of humor."[256]The Daily Telegraph's Robbie Collin said, "A brand new summer family blockbuster this may be, but it plays by old, half-forgotten rules; trimming out the clutter and cross-referencing for snappy, streamlined, Saturday-cartoon fun".[257] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times said, "Blessed with a loose, anarchic B-picture soul that encourages you to enjoy yourself even when you're not quite sure what's going on, the scruffy Guardians is irreverent in a way that can bring the first Star Wars to mind, in part because it has some of the most unconventional heroes this side of the Mos Eisley cantina."[258]Manohla Dargis of The New York Times said, "While Guardians takes you down one after another crazy narrative turn, it also pulls you into—and, for the most part, keeps you in—a fully realized other world."[259]Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times said, "Guardians of the Galaxy is a late summer treat—a mostly lighthearted and self-referential comic-book movie with loads of whiz-bang action, some laugh-out-loud moments, and a couple of surprisingly beautiful and touching scenes as well," calling it "a refreshing confection of entertainment."[260]
Jake Coyle of the Associated Press was more critical of the film, calling it "terribly overstuffed and many of the jokes get drowned out by the special effects ... The pervasive movie references detract from the stab at freshness, and Guardians depends all too much on the whimsy of '70s anthems for an original beat." He also felt that Close, Reilly, and del Toro were underused in the film.[261]Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle said, "In place of wit, Guardians offers a sort of generalized willingness to be amusing, an atmosphere of high spirits that feels like lots of people pumping air into a tire that has a hole in it. Everyone is clearly working, but nothing is really happening–and yet the effort is so evident that there's an impulse to reward it."[262] The film received mixed reviews in China, according to state media outlet China Daily, where viewers complained that the film's "poor subtitle translation not only spoiled the fun of watching it, but also made it difficult to understand its humor."[263]Jim Starlin, creator of Drax, Gamora, and Thanos, said it "might be Marvel's best movie yet".[264] Director Steven Spielberg said that the film was the superhero film "that impressed [him] most" as it does "not take itself too seriously." He felt he had "seen something new in [superhero] movies [from the film], without any cynicism, or fear of being dark when needed."[265]
In 2017, Guardians of the Galaxy was featured as one of the 100 greatest films of all time in Empire magazine's poll of The 100 Greatest Movies, as the highest MCU film on the list.[266]
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was released on May 5, 2017, again written and directed by James Gunn.[271] Pratt, Saldaña, Bautista, Diesel, Cooper, Rooker, Gillan, and Sean Gunn all reprise their roles in the film,[272] and are joined by Pom Klementieff as Mantis,[5][273]Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha, Chris Sullivan as Taserface, and Kurt Russell as Quill's father Ego.[5][272]
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is a Marvel Studios Special Presentation that was released on Disney+ on November 25, 2022,[274][275] with Gunn writing and directing.[276] Pratt, Bautista, Diesel, Cooper, Gillan, Klementieff, Rooker, and Sean Gunn reprise their roles in the special,[277] which is set before the events of Vol. 3.[278]
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was released on May 5, 2023,[279] with Gunn returning to write and direct.[280][281] Pratt, Saldaña, Bautista, Diesel, Cooper,[282] Gillan,[283] Klementieff,[284] and Sean Gunn reprise their roles in the film,[45] and are joined by Will Poulter as Adam Warlock,[285]Maria Bakalova as Cosmo the Spacedog, and Chukwudi Iwuji as Rocket's creator, the High Evolutionary.
^ a b c dSylt, Christian (January 27, 2015). "Disney Reveals Guardians Of The Galaxy Was Over Budget At $232 Million". Forbes. Archived from the original on January 30, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2015. The Disney company behind the movie is named Infinity Works Productions after the object at the heart of the film. Last week it released financial statements for the 10 months to 31 August 2014 which show that costs came to $87.4 million bringing the total to $232.3 million. [...] Britain's tax authority H.M. Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has handed Disney a total of $36.4 million for Guardians of the Galaxy alone.
^ a b c"Guardians of the Galaxy". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
^Davis, Brandon (July 24, 2016). "James Gunn Reveals Why Taserface Is In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
^ a b cMarston, George (July 23, 2016). "Star-Lord's Father Revealed ... James Gunn Explains in Detail". Newsarama. Archived from the original on July 24, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
^ a b c d e f"'Guardians of the Galaxy' Cameos, Hints at MCU's Future (Heavy Spoilers)". Stitch Kingdom. July 16, 2014. Archived from the original on July 18, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
^ a bWebb, Charles (August 1, 2014). "Who Was That Voice In The Guardians of The Galaxy End Credits Scene? [Massive Spoilers]". Nerdist. Archived from the original on August 3, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
^ a b c dPerry, Spencer (July 8, 2014). "Guardians of the Galaxy: From the Set of the Marvel Studios Adaptation". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on July 9, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k"'Guardians of the Galaxy' Official Character Descriptions (minor spoilers)". Stitch Kingdom. May 15, 2014. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
^ a bTruitt, Brian (February 17, 2014). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' crew comes down to Earth". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
^ a b cLussier, Germain (April 11, 2014). "'Guardians of The Galaxy' Connects to 'Avengers 3;' Plus New Image". /Film. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014.
^Clark, Noelene (July 20, 2013). "Comic-Con: Marvel's 'Age of Ultron,' 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' more". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 23, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
^Collis, Clark (July 18, 2014). "The Next Movie Star". Entertainment Weekly. pp. 24–31.
^Hunt, Christopher (June 19, 2014). "How Chris Pratt Dropped 60 Pounds in Six Months". Men's Fitness. Archived from the original on August 3, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
^ a bRyan, Mike (November 18, 2013). "Chris Pratt on Heartbreak, 'Delivery Man' And Gearing Up For 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on August 29, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
^Ryan, Maureen (August 1, 2013). "Why Are Rob Lowe And Rashida Jones Leaving 'Parks And Rec'? EP Mike Schur Says Decision Was Mutual". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on September 25, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
^Corliss, Richard (August 1, 2014). "Review: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Expendables In Outer Space". Time. Archived from the original on August 3, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
^ a bVespe, Eric (July 21, 2013). "Quint describes the funny and awesomely weird first footage from Marvel's GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY! Comic-Con 2013!". Ain't It Cool News. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
^Plumb, Ali (August 30, 2013). "Exclusive: Marvel Chief Kevin Feige On Guardians Of The Galaxy". Empire. Archived from the original on July 21, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
^Maytum, Matt (May 3, 2013). "Zoe Saldana updates on Guardians of the Galaxy". Total Film. Archived from the original on June 6, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
^White, Brett (May 9, 2013). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' Exclusive: Zoe Saldana Gets Honest About Gamora's Look". MTV News. Archived from the original on June 9, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
^Weintraub, Steve (July 8, 2014). "Dave Bautista Talks Fight Scenes and Finding The Humor in Drax on the Set of Guardians Of The Galaxy". Collider. Archived from the original on July 10, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
^Chitwood, Adam (May 19, 2014). "Guardians Of The Galaxy Q&A Highlights: James Gunn's Influences, the Soundtrack, the Sequel, Avengers Crossovers, and More". Collider. Archived from the original on May 20, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
^ a bHunt, James (July 8, 2014). ""Guardians Of The Galaxy" Set Visit Puts Concerns To Rest". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
^ a b"Read the Official Synopsis For Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy". Marvel. January 3, 2014. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
^Ford, Rebecca (August 27, 2013). "Vin Diesel Reveals Details of His Marvel Meetings for 'Guardians of the Galaxy' (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
^Patten, Dominic (August 11, 2013). "Vin Diesel in Talks To Join 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 13, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
^ a bconversationsMM (September 5, 2013). Vin Diesel Conversations with Maria Menounos September 4, 2013. Event occurs at 1:00:35. Archived from the original on September 9, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2013 – via YouTube.
^Puchko, Kristy (July 30, 2014). "Listen To Vin Diesel Voice Groot In Five Other Languages". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
^ a b c dDietsch, TJ (June 26, 2014). "James Gunn Reveals His Brother's Roles in 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
^ a b c dAcuna, Kristen (July 31, 2014). "Here's How Groot And Rocket Raccoon Look Without Visual Effects In 'Guardians Of The Galaxy'". Business Insider. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
^ a bRobinson, Will (March 29, 2016). "Guardians of the Galaxy: James Gunn says Groot was inspired by his dog". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 2, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
^Ashurst, Sam (February 19, 2014). "Guardians of the Galaxy: James Gunn's Trailer Breakdown: Dawww, Groot". Total Film. Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
^Larson, Jared (February 25, 2014). "What Can Fans Expect from Vin Diesel's Groot?". IGN. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
^Leyland, Nick (December 8, 2014). "Interview: Vine Diesel talks 'Guardians' and playing Groot". The Movie Network. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
^McLauchlin, Jim (July 21, 2014). "'Liberating' Guardians Of The Galaxy Not in the Regular 'Marvel Scheme of Things'". Newsarama. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
^Perry, Spencer (July 8, 2014). "Guardians of the Galaxy: From the Set of the Marvel Studios Adaptation". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
^ a b"Official: Bradley Cooper to Voice Rocket Raccoon in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy". Marvel.com. August 30, 2013. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
^Kit, Borys (August 22, 2013). "Bradley Cooper in Talks to Voice Rocket Raccoon in Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 30, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
^Fischer, Russ (April 19, 2013). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' Director James Gunn Explains Rocket Raccoon as a "Mangled Little Beast"". /Film. Archived from the original on July 21, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
^Lussier, Germain (May 2, 2023). "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's Main Plot Was Almost Used for a Rocket and Groot Movie". io9. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
^Sullivan, Kevin P. (December 9, 2013). "Why 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Reminds Bradley Cooper Of 'Goodfellas'". MTV. Archived from the original on July 23, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
^ a bSullivan, Kevin P. (October 16, 2013). "Vin Diesel on Stilts Isn't Even The Weirdest Thing About This Video". MTV. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
^ a b cSullivan, Kevin P (November 6, 2013). "'Guardians of the Galaxy': Latest on Vin, Bradley and the Scene Everyone's Talking About". MTV. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
^ a bTramel, Jimmie (September 23, 2018). "Tulsa-bound actor Sean Gunn knows Marvel-ous details, but can't share yet". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on September 24, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
^Tilly, Chris (June 4, 2014). "Why The Success Of Guardians Of The Galaxy Depends On A Talking Raccoon". IGN. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
^ a b cPerry, Spencer (July 8, 2014). "Guardians of the Galaxy: From the Set of the Marvel Studios Adaptation". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
^AMC Theatres (July 24, 2013). Comic Con '13 – Guardians of the Galaxy Cast Chats with AMC. YouTube. Archived from the original on June 21, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
^Dibdin, Emma (May 16, 2014). "James Gunn: Guardians of the Galaxy are Rolling Stones to Avengers' Beatles". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
^ a bLussier, Germain (December 7, 2012). "Lee Pace Confirms He's Auditioning For 'Guardians of the Galaxy;' Says Script Is 'Great'". /Film. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
^Anderson, Daniel (October 11, 2013). "Lee Pace on His Guardians of the Galaxy Character – 'He's a f**king psycho!'". Click. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
^ a b"Michael Rooker Joins 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". Deadline Hollywood. April 16, 2013. Archived from the original on April 18, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
^Truitt, Brian (July 8, 2014). "Michael Rooker's feeling blue as 'Guardians' alien Yondu". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 10, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
^McCabe, Joseph (November 25, 2014). "Exclusive: Actor Michael Rooker Talks Yondu And The Future of Guardians Of The Galaxy!". Nerdist. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
^"IAR VIDEO: Director James Gunn and Karen Gillan Talk 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". IAmRogue. November 5, 2013. Archived from the original on April 4, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
^ a b cHunt, James (July 8, 2014). "Gillan Discusses "Guardians Of The Galaxy" Nebula, Ronan's Intimidation Factor". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
^Hiatt, Brian (April 3, 2023). "Rocket's Origin and Radiohead: Inside 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
^ a b cSiegel, Lucas (July 20, 2013). "SDCC '13: Marvel Reveals Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians Cast, More". Newsarama. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
^Ibarra, Sabina (July 21, 2013). "Comic-Con 2013: 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Cast Talk Rocket Raccoon and Playing Badasses". ScreenCrave. Archived from the original on June 26, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
^ a bFleming, Mike Jr. (June 14, 2013). "John C. Reilly Firmed For Rhomann Dey, leader of the Nova Corps, In 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 18, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
^ a b c d e"Marvel Studios Begins Production on Guardians of the Galaxy". Marvel.com. July 20, 2013. Archived from the original on July 24, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
^ a bFleming, Mike Jr. (May 29, 2013). "Glenn Close Is Head Cop in Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
^ a bBuchanan, Kyle (August 5, 2014). "Glenn Close on Donning 'Full Drag' for Guardians of the Galaxy". Vulture. Archived from the original on September 10, 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
^Truitt, Brian (August 4, 2014). "'Serious actress' Glenn Close embraces 'Guardians' fun". USA Today. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
^ a bFleming, Mike Jr. (June 3, 2013). "Benicio Del Toro Takes Lead Role in Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
^Weintraub, Steve (July 29, 2014). "Benicio del Toro Talks Guardians Of The Galaxy, Playing the Collector, His Marvel Contract, Inherent Vice, Paradise Lost LOST, and More". Collider. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
^ a bKroll, Justin (May 30, 2014). "Josh Brolin to Play Thanos in Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". Variety. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
^ a bFord, Rebecca (May 30, 2014). "Josh Brolin Voicing Thanos in 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
^ a b c dWeintraub, Steve (July 22, 2014). "Kevin Feige Talks GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, THOR 3, CAPTAIN AMERICA 3, DOCTOR STRANGE, Casting Josh Brolin as Thanos, Comic-Con Plans, and More". Collider. Archived from the original on July 24, 2014.
^Watkins, Gwynne (August 1, 2014). "Alyssa Milano, Howard the Duck, and Other Secrets of 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
^ a b cKit, Borys (April 22, 2013). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' Adds One More to Cast (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 24, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
^ a bSunu, Steve (April 28, 2014). "Comic Reel: "Justice League" Movie Confirmed; New Look At "Guardians of the Galaxy's" Nebula". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on April 29, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
^Serafinowicz, Peter (July 23, 2013). "Re Guardians, I'm a Nova Corps Officer with John C Reilly". Twitter. Archived from the original on January 12, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
^ a bDouglas, Edward (July 24, 2014). "Guardians of the Galaxy Movie Review". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
^Wakeman, Gregory (November 13, 2014). "The Original Guardians Of The Galaxy Ending Was Removed For Being Too Sad". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on May 3, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
^Diabolique Magazine (November 28, 2013). NYCC 2013: Laura Haddock on Da Vinci's Demons, Season 2. Event occurs at 2:37. Archived from the original on June 30, 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2013 – via YouTube.
^Gunn, James (July 2014). "#gotgpicoftheday Posting this one as I land in Singapore. It's @meliakreiling as Bereet and @prattprattpratt as I think you know by now. Thanks for all your kind messages about the 17 minute preview. Glad you all enjoyed it! #guardiansofthegalaxy #gotg". Instagram. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
^Knight, Chris (July 29, 2014). "Guardians of the Galaxy, reviewed: Marvel's new film franchise is off to a promising start". National Post. Archived from the original on August 28, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
^Gunn, James (July 2014). "#gotgpicoftheday Happy Birthday to one of my very best friends (and Nova Prime's assistant) @mikaelahoover! Love you lots, Mikaela! Follow her! #guardiansofthegalaxy #gotg". Instagram. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
^ a b c d e fPlumb, Ali (August 12, 2014). "James Gunn On Guardians Of The Galaxy's Secrets". Empire. Archived from the original on July 28, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
^Scanlan, Emmett J. (February 19, 2014). "Myself & the brilliant @KarenGillan2 in @JamesGunn AWESOME LOOKING #GuardiansOfTheGalaxy". Twitter. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
^Sunu, Steve (September 5, 2014). ""Constantine" Brings Jim Corrigan To Television". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
^ a bGunn, James (September 27, 2013). "Also #FF AMAZING #gotg supporting cast @Thejudgegunn @MaramaCorlett @AlexisRodney @Melia_Kreiling @GreggHenry88 @BigSpenWilding". Twitter. Archived from the original on November 7, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
^Rodney, Alexis (August 30, 2014). "Great unseen image from Guardians of the Galaxy featuring myself as (Moloka Dar). From the dude himself ... ... ". Twitter. Archived from the original on September 17, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
^"Guardians Tom Headshot". TomProctor.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
^Bussey, Ben (September 12, 2014). "James Gunn Teases Deleted Guardians Of The Galaxy Musical Scene". Yahoo! UK. Archived from the original on September 12, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
^Gunn, James (September 5, 2013). "Filming a scene with my old pal @blackehart, who is unfortunately about to tangle with Drax the Destroyer @DaveBautista. #gotg". Twitter. Archived from the original on October 25, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
^Jirak, Jamie (May 10, 2024). "The Fantastic Four's Galactus Actor Has Already Appeared in the MCU". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
^Stedman, Alex (April 27, 2014). "Stan Lee Says He Will Cameo in 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". Variety. Archived from the original on April 28, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
^Topel, Fred (May 28, 2013). "Exclusive Cannes Interview: Lloyd Kaufman on Nuke 'Em High". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on June 9, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
^Gunn, James (July 2014). "#gotgpicoftheday I was grateful when my old boss, the president of Troma Entertainment, @lloydkaufman, came to London to do a cameo in the film – as a prisoner in the Kyln. Lloyd taught me more than anyone else about making films. One of the things that keeps me sane in this business is staying true to my roots – whether with friends, family, or co-workers. As the world around me changes it's nice to have some consistency in my personal life (even if that consistency is as crazy as @michael_rooker). Have a great day, folks! #guardiansofthegalaxy #gotgFollow". Instagram. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
^D'Orazio, Dante (June 22, 2014). "Nathan Fillion to make cameo in 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". The Verge. Archived from the original on June 24, 2014. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
^Marvel Entertainment (July 21, 2014). Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Red Carpet Premiere. Archived from the original on July 22, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2014 – via YouTube.
^Phegley, Kiel (August 21, 2012). "Abnett & Lanning: A cosmic odyssey from "Legion" to "Guardians"". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
^Wigler, Josh (August 6, 2010). "Marvel Considering 'Iron Fist' & 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' Movies, 'Black Panther' & 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' Too!". MTV News. Archived from the original on June 9, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
^Woerner, Meredith (September 30, 2011). "Marvel's next 5 movies after The Avengers could include some weird surprises". io9. Archived from the original on August 4, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
^ a bKit, Borys (July 14, 2012). "Comic-Con 2012: Marvel Names 'Avengers' Follow-Ups; Robert Downey Jr. Makes Surprise Appearance". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
^Anders, Charlie (July 14, 2012). "The Marvel Panel: Ant-Man Smackdown, Iron Man's Downfall, and Rocket Raccoon!". io9. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
^Kit, Borys (August 18, 2012). "James Gunn in Talks to Direct Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 18, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
^Graser, Marc (August 7, 2012). "Joss Whedon will return for 'The Avengers 2'". Variety. Archived from the original on August 10, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
^Wigler, Josh (September 10, 2012). "'Avengers' Mastermind Believes In 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Director". MTV News. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
^Shetty, Sharan (August 4, 2014). "Who Deserves Credit for Guardians of the Galaxy's Great Script?". Slate. Archived from the original on August 6, 2014. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
^ a bStrom, Mark (August 19, 2014). "Nicole Perlman Writes the Galaxy". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on August 22, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
^ a bRothman, Lily (July 25, 2014). "How Nicole Perlman Became the First Woman to Write a Marvel Movie". Time. Archived from the original on July 29, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
^ a bFrancisco, Eric (May 4, 2023). "The Guardians of the Galaxy Movies Wouldn't Exist Without Nicole Perlman". Inverse. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
^Robinson, Johanna; Gonzales, Dave; Edwards, Gavin (October 10, 2023). MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios. New York City: Liveright. p. 169. ISBN 978-1-63149-751-3. Once Moore was around to give her notes, she switched the protagonist of her script from the character Nova to Peter Quill, aka the Star-Lord.
^Faraci, Devin (July 29, 2014). "The Badass Interview: James Gunn On Guardians Of The Galaxy". Badass Digest. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
^Madison, Charles (July 26, 2014). "James Gunn on Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – the promise of Nebula, Yondu and Peter Quill's father". Film Divider. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
^Bennett, Tara; Terry, Paul (2021). The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Abrams Books. ISBN 978-1419732447.
^Wales, George (June 12, 2013). "Joss Whedon talks Avengers 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy". Total Film. Archived from the original on April 23, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
^Skipper, Ben (August 20, 2014). "Guardians of the Galaxy Writer Reveals Hit Marvel Film Nearly Didn't Star Rocket Raccoon". International Business Times. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
^Kit, Borys (August 2, 2012). "Marvel Hires Three-Time Black List Writer for 'Guardians of the Galaxy' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 3, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
^Gunn, James; Buchanan, Kyle (December 18, 2014). "The Toughest Scene I Wrote: James Gunn on Writing Thanos Into Guardians of the Galaxy". Vulture. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
^Gunn, James [@jamesgunn] (December 2, 2015). "Thanos was the bad guy in the script that existed when I came on board. Joss wanted him out & I was all good w that https://twitter.com/thenews018/status/672200306344595456 ..." (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2023 – via Twitter.
^Lesnick, Silas (September 18, 2012). "James Gunn Confirmed to Direct and Rewrite Guardians of the Galaxy". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
^Fleming, Mike (November 28, 2012). "Marvel Testing Short List of Actors For 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Leader". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 30, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
^Sneider, Jeff (December 21, 2012). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' tests male leads". Variety. Archived from the original on December 24, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
^"Adam Brody on 'F—ing Boring' Method Acting and His Failed 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Audition: 'I Wanted That One'". August 2, 2023.
^Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 2, 2013). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt Joins 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Race". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
^Nicholson, Max (January 3, 2013). "Smallville's Michael Rosenbaum Up for Guardians of the Galaxy". IGN. Archived from the original on January 13, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
^Schager, Nick (March 12, 2017). "James Gunn on 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2': 'It's a Richer, More Emotional Film'". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
^Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 5, 2013). "Chris Pratt Getting 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Lead". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 6, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
^Dornbush, Jonathan (November 18, 2014). "Glenn Howerton was almost Star-Lord in 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
^ a bWiseman, Andreas (January 11, 2013). "Guardians of the Galaxy due to land at Shepperton". Screen International. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
^ a b"Captain America & Guardians Coming in 3D". Marvel.com. January 14, 2013. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
^Eisenberg, Eric (February 12, 2013). "How The Avengers Made A Motion Capture Hulk And Snagged An Oscar Nomination". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
^McCabe, Joseph (March 4, 2013). "SFX 233 Preview: Marvel Boss On Phase 2". SFX. Archived from the original on March 7, 2013. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
^ a bKit, Borys (March 14, 2013). "Marvel Signs WWE's Dave Bautista for 'Guardians of the Galaxy' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 16, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
^ a bRobinson, Joanna; Gonzales, Dave; Edwards, Gavin (September 21, 2023). "Marvel Secrets Revealed: Alternate Castings That Would Have Changed Everything". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
^Larson, Jared (February 26, 2014). "Jason Momoa on Why He Turned Down Guardians of the Galaxy". IGN. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
^Connelly, Brendon (March 21, 2013). "The Man Who Carved Darth Vader's Mask Is Busy on the Guardians of the Galaxy". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on March 23, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
^Kit, Borys (April 3, 2013). "Zoe Saldana in Talks to Star in Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 6, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
^White, Adam (December 7, 2020). "Amanda Seyfried turned down Guardians of the Galaxy due to 'talking raccoon' concerns". The Independent. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
^Sneider, Jeff (April 23, 2013). "Lee Pace in Final Negotiations to Play Villain in 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". The Wrap. Archived from the original on April 26, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
^ a bMcWeeny, Drew (May 25, 2013). "Will John C. Reilly join the Marvel Universe for 'Guardians of the Galaxy'?". HitFix. Archived from the original on May 27, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
^Kit, Borys (May 31, 2013). "'Doctor Who' Star Joins Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
^Pierce, Scott (August 6, 2014). "Under the Skin of "Guardians of the Galaxy" With Makeup FX Wizard David White". Fast Company Co.Create. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
^Franich, Darren (November 12, 2014). "James Gunn on why 'Guardians of the Galaxy' isn't weird (and the sequel he'd like to make)". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 11, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
^Woerner, Meredith (May 20, 2014). "Chris Foss Designed Spaceships For Guardians of the Galaxy!". io9. Archived from the original on September 23, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
^Saed, Sherif (January 9, 2017). "Guardians of the Galaxy director cites Mass Effect among his biggest inspirations, offers take on why video game movies suck". VG247. Archived from the original on May 8, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
^ a bBankston, Douglas (September 2014). "Ben Davis, BSC, blasts off for the space adventure Guardians of the Galaxy". American Society of Cinematographers. Archived from the original on December 23, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
^Marvel Head Talks Thanos & Ultron – Comic-Con 2013. IGN. July 20, 2013. Archived from the original on July 21, 2013. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
^Shahid, Sharnaz (August 11, 2013). "PHOTOS: Guardians Of The Galaxy Cast Get Physical In London Shoot". Entertainmentwise. Archived from the original on December 2, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
^White, Brett (September 3, 2013). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' Filming Schedule Passes Halfway Mark". MTV. Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
^Ryan, Mike (October 18, 2013). "Marvel's Kevin Feige Says Vin Diesel's 'Guardians' Role Is 'Close'". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on April 8, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
^Gunn, James (October 12, 2013). "And after our last shot with @DaveBautista that's a full wrap on #GotG! It's been a long strange wonderful trip!". Twitter. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
^Bankston, Douglas (September 2014). "Ben Davis, BSC, blasts off for the space adventure Guardians of the Galaxy". American Society of Cinematographers. Archived from the original on December 23, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
^Slavin, Michael (August 22, 2021). "Sean Gunn on Collaborating with His Brother James on 'The Suicide Squad' – Exclusive Interview". Discussing Film. Archived from the original on August 28, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
^Cunningham, Todd (July 11, 2014). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' Tracking for $60 Million Opening". The Wrap. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
^Nicholson, Matt (November 6, 2013). "James Gunn on Guardians: Thanos, SFX & More". IGN. Archived from the original on April 14, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
^Bibbiani, William (November 8, 2013). "Exclusive Interview: Kevin Feige on Thor and Marvel's Future". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 13, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
^Phase Zero (May 4, 2023). How Well Do The Guardians Of The Galaxy KNOW Their Guardians?! - Cast Quiz (GotG Vol 3). ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023 – via YouTube.
^Lussier, Germain (November 13, 2013). "/Film Interview: 'Thor: The Dark World' Producer Kevin Feige". /Film. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
^ a bBuchanan, Kyle (June 3, 2014). "How Much Thanos Will You See in Guardians of the Galaxy?". Vulture. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
^Diente, Tanya (June 6, 2014). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' Spoilers: Thanos, Gamora And The Infinity Stones". International Business Times. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
^"Official: Vin Diesel to Voice Groot in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy". Marvel.com. December 21, 2013. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
^Gunn, James (March 13, 2014). "Dwarves at Twilight. Disney lot, additional shooting, early as hell". Twitter. Archived from the original on March 24, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
^Gunn, James (March 21, 2014). "Wrapping additional photography on #GotG with @prattprattpratt @Michael_Rooker & @Thejudgegunn – 3 dudes I love working with". Twitter. Archived from the original on March 29, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
^Saldaña, Zoe (March 22, 2014). "Seriously,do you guys like @Guardians trailer? We shot some more stuff last weekend. @JamesGunn @prattprattpratt @DaveBautista @KarenGillan2". Twitter. Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
^ a b cTilly, Chris (May 16, 2014). "15 Reasons To Get Excited About Guardians Of The Galaxy". IGN. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
^Guardians of the Galaxy press con in Singapore - James Gunn on GoTG and the MCU. Geek Crusade. July 10, 2014. Archived from the original on January 5, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
^Maytum, Matt (June 20, 2014). "Marvel's Kevin Feige updates on Guardians Of The Galaxy, Thanos, Ant-Man, TV shows and Doctor Strange". Total Film. Archived from the original on June 24, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
^Khatchatourian, Maane (July 7, 2014). "James Gunn Just Finished Work on 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". Variety. Archived from the original on July 11, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
^Collis, Clark (August 5, 2014). "'Guardians of the Galaxy': Benicio Del Toro may not know he's in a scene with you-know-who". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 7, 2014. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
^Gunn, James [@jamesgunn] (April 8, 2020). "I forgot about this. It's true (but not that late in post). I think it's because halfway through Marvel decided the thing in Thor Dark World was a power Stone (as well as the other things that became power stones). But I like the purple way more!! #QuarantineWatchParty #gotg" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2020 – via Twitter.
^Frei, Vincent (December 18, 2014). "Guardians Of The Galaxy: Erin Sarofsky – President, Owner And Executive Creative Director – Sarofsky". Art of VFX. Archived from the original on July 23, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l mFailes, Ian (August 13, 2014). "The VFX of Guardians of the Galaxy". Fxguide. Archived from the original on August 17, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
^Giardina, Carolyn (October 18, 2014). "Marvel Exec Talks 'Avengers 2' and Why the Studio "Wants to Make Movies in L.A."". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
^Douglas, Edward (July 28, 2014). "SHH's Exclusive Interview with James Gunn on Guardians of the Galaxy". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on July 30, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
^ a bFoundas, Scott (July 24, 2014). "Film Review: 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". Variety. Archived from the original on July 25, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
^Holman, Jordyn (July 7, 2014). "Method Studios Taps VFX Veteran Marc Weigert to Spearhead Growth". Variety. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
^Schaefer, Sandy (August 2013). "James Gunn On 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Composer Tyler Bates' Approach". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on August 22, 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
^Ashurst, Sam (February 19, 2014). "Guardians of the Galaxy: James Gunn's Trailer Breakdown: Star Lord's Walkman". Total Film. Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
^ a bSuskind, Alex (August 8, 2014). "Director James Gunn on How He Chose the Music in Guardians of the Galaxy". Vulture. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
^"Guardians of the Galaxy: Original Score". Soundtrack.net. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
^Hollywood Records; Marvel (July 9, 2014). "Hollywood Records And Marvel Set To Release Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy Deluxe Soundtrack, Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy Awesome Mix Vol. 1 And Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy Digital Score Soundtrack" (Press release). PR Newswire. Archived from the original on December 1, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
^Gilman, Greg (August 13, 2014). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' Becomes First Soundtrack in History Without New Songs to Land No. 1 Spot". The Wrap. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
^Caulfield, Keith (October 20, 2014). "Exclusive: 'Guardians' Soundtrack To Be Released On Cassette Tape". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
^Ford, Rebecca (August 10, 2013). "D23: Disney Brings Out Angelina Jolie for 'Maleficent,' Screens New Footage of 'Saving Mr. Banks'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 13, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
^Clark, Noelene; McIntyre, Gina (February 19, 2014). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' trailer: Marvel unveils cosmic action comedy". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
^Ashurst, Sam (February 19, 2014). "Guardians of the Galaxy: James Gunn's Trailer Breakdown: Indiana Jones' Influence". Total Film. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
^Ashurst, Sam (February 19, 2014). "Guardians of the Galaxy: James Gunn's Trailer Breakdown: Edgy Humour". Total Film. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
^Ashurst, Sam (February 19, 2014). "Guardians of the Galaxy: James Gunn's Trailer Breakdown: Nebula's introduction". Total Film. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
^Ashurst, Sam (February 19, 2014). "Guardians of the Galaxy: James Gunn's Trailer Breakdown: The Collector". Total Film. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
^Lang, Brent (February 19, 2014). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' Trailer a Social Media Smash, Bigger Than 'Man of Steel'". The Wrap. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
^Breznican, Anthony (October 24, 2014). "Despite leak, 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' trailer breaks Marvel record". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
^Caulfield, Keith (February 20, 2014). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' Trailer Sends 'Hooked On a Feeling' Sales Through the Roof". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
^Couch, Aaron (December 1, 2016). "James Gunn on Trailer Pressures and Nearly Shelving the First 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Teaser". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
^Lovett, Jamie (March 26, 2014). "Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Blue Alien Confirmed As Kree". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on December 11, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
^Logan, Michael (November 19, 2014). "It's All Connected: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Alien Revealed". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on December 2, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
^Hibberd, James (February 27, 2014). "ABC to air Marvel special with 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' sneak peek – EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 1, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
^Arrant, Chris (March 18, 2014). "Abnett & Lanning Put the Band Back Together for Guardians of the Galaxy Movie Prequel". Newsarama. Archived from the original on March 19, 2014.
^ a b c d eGraser, Marc (June 4, 2014). "Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Doesn't Scare Licensing Partners". Variety. Archived from the original on June 7, 2014. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
^Hughes, Jason (July 3, 2014). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' Offers Fans Interstellar Travel Via Galaxy Getaways". The Wrap. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
^Slater, Shawn (June 9, 2014). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' Sneak Peek Landing in Disney Parks July 4". DisneyParks Blog. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
^"Get an Early Look at Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy in IMAX July 7". Marvel.com. June 27, 2014. Archived from the original on June 27, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
^ a bSiegel, Lucas (July 8, 2014). "Missed Guardians Of The Galaxy Sneak Peek? Here's a New Trailer!". Newsarama. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
^ a bDickson, Evan (July 8, 2014). "Guardians Of The Galaxy Footage Review: Evan's Reaction to Marvel Screening 17 Minutes of Footage". Collider. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
^Eisenberg, Eric (July 7, 2014). "Marvel Screened 17 Minutes Of Guardians Of The Galaxy And This Is What We Saw". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
^Huver, Scott (July 8, 2014). "Hooked On A Preview: "Guardians" Sneak Preview Footage Is Deliriously Fun". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
^ a bLussier, Germain (July 7, 2014). "17 Minute 'Guardians of the Galaxy' IMAX 3D Presentation Elicits Cheers And Some Confusion; Watch An Extended Clip". /Film. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
^Leong, John (July 12, 2014). ""Guardians of the Galaxy" cast thrill fans in Singapore". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
^"Play Guardians of the Galaxy: The Universal Weapon". Marvel.com. July 17, 2014. Archived from the original on July 19, 2014. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
^Zalben, Alex (July 17, 2014). "'Guardians Of The Galaxy' Mobile Game? You're Welcome". MTV. Archived from the original on July 20, 2014. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
^ a bLewis, Hilary (July 17, 2014). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' Cast to Appear on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 20, 2014. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
^"Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana Join Marvel Entertainment Executives To Ring The Opening Bell at the NYSE to Promote the Highly-Anticipated Summer Film, Marvel s Guardians of the Galaxy". New York Stock Exchange. July 29, 2014. Archived from the original on December 17, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
^Polowy, Kevin (August 14, 2014). "Exclusive: Here's That Clip of Dancing Baby Groot in All Its Galactic Glory". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on August 23, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
^ a bMcMillan, Graeme (August 22, 2014). "It's Official: Dancing Groot Is the Breakout Character of Summer". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 24, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
^Melrose, Kevin (August 28, 2014). "'Grooting' has entered the lexicon". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on September 1, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
^Johnson, Zach (August 21, 2014). "Chris Pratt Visits Children's Hospital Los Angeles in Costume as Star-Lord From Guardians of the Galaxy". E!. Archived from the original on August 23, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
^Johnston, Rich (June 25, 2012). "Marvel Ramps Up Guardians of the Galaxy Trademarks". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on August 10, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
^ a b cGraser, Marc (August 16, 2013). "Marvel Rallies New Merchandise Partners Around 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". Variety. Archived from the original on August 18, 2013. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
^ a bKrupa, Daniel (January 22, 2014). "Guardians of the Galaxy LEGO Toy Sets Coming Soon". IGN. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
^Krupa, Daniel (June 2, 2014). "Guardians Of The Galaxy Lego Sets Officially Unveiled". IGN. Archived from the original on June 3, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
^Lee, Ashley (October 13, 2014). "Dancing Baby Groot of 'Guardians of the Galaxy' to Hit Shelves in December". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
^Graser, Marc (December 3, 2014). "New Wave of 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Merchandise Launches Around Homevideo Release". Variety. Archived from the original on December 9, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
^Ryder, Taryn (July 22, 2014). "On the Red Carpet at the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Premiere". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on July 23, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
^"Guardians of the Galaxy An IMAX 3D Experience". IMAX. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
^ a bBusch, Anita (July 31, 2014). "Box Office Friday: Summer Savior As 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' $92.2M to $95.5M; 'Get On Up' Down Low With $14.7M". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
^Tartaglione, Nancy (September 7, 2014). "Update: Intl Box Office: 'Lucy' Tops Chart; 'Expendables 3' In China; Pics From Korea, Spain, Argentina Get A Look-In; More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 8, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
^McEwan, Cameron K.; Longridge, Chris (August 7, 2019). "Marvel's 'Phases' explained: What goes when & why". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on August 20, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
^Ching, Albert (June 5, 2014). "First "Guardians Of The Galaxy" TV Spot Released, Gunn Hypes 3D Experience". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
^Marvel UK (September 30, 2014). "Marvel's #GuardiansOfTheGalaxy comes to 3D/2D Blu-ray & DVD in the UK November 24". Twitter. Archived from the original on January 30, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
^ a b"Guardians of the Galaxy' on Blu-Ray 12/9 with Deleted Scenes, Audio Commentary and More; Digital HD in November". Stitch Kingdom. October 3, 2014. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
^"Guardians of the Galaxy". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
^Goldberg, Matt (October 23, 2015). "'Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two Collection' Unveiled; Contains First Look at Phase 3". Collider. Archived from the original on October 24, 2015. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
^Byford, Sam (November 8, 2021). "Disney Plus is upgrading Marvel movies to IMAX aspect ratio". The Verge. Archived from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
^Robinson, Joanna (December 6, 2017). "An Extended Conversation with Kevin Feige". Vanity Fair. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
^ a bTartaglione, Nancy (October 20, 2014). "Int'l Box Office Final: 'Guardians' Now 3rd Biggest Marvel Movie Ever; 'Dracula Untold', 'Gone Girl', 'Annabelle' Hold Well; Action In France, Mexico; More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
^"2014 Worldwide Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
^Tartaglione, Nancy (October 27, 2014). "Int'l Box Office FINAL: 'Happy New Year' Uncorks Record Bollywood Bow; 'Annabelle' Still A Doll With $26.2M; 'Lucy' Outmuscles 'Hercules' In China; More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
^ a b cTartaglione, Nancy (October 25, 2014). "Intl Box Office Final: Milestones For 'Godzilla', '22 Jump Street', 'Transformers' + 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' Rockets To $67.4M; Local Pics Make Waves In Asia; More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 5, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
^Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 13, 2015). "No. 5 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' – 2014 Most Valuable Blockbuster Movie Tournament". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
^Lang, Brent (August 1, 2014). "Guardians of the Galaxy' Soars to Biggest Thursday Box Office Opening of the Year". Variety. Archived from the original on August 3, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
^Mendelson, Scott (August 2, 2014). "Box Office: 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' Rockets To $37.8M Friday". Forbes. Archived from the original on August 5, 2014. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
^ a bSuber, Ray (August 3, 2014). "Weekend Report: 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Obliterates August Record". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on August 6, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
^Mendelson, Scott (August 10, 2014). "Box Office: 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Nets $65M Weekend". Forbes. Archived from the original on August 31, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
^Olsen, Mark (August 17, 2014). "'Ninja Turtles' tops 'Expendables 3,' 'Let's Be Cops' at box office". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 1, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
^ a bLang, Brett (August 24, 2014). "Box Office: 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Back on Top, 'Sin City 2' Flops". Variety. Archived from the original on August 25, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
^ a b cLang, Brent (September 1, 2014). "Guardians of the Galaxy' Tops Weak Labor Day Box Office, Summer Stumbles to Close". Variety. Archived from the original on September 2, 2014. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
^McNary, Dave (September 7, 2014). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' Wins Cold U.S. Box Office with $10.2 Million, 'The Identical' Tanks". Variety. Archived from the original on September 9, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
^Blackmon, Joe (August 31, 2014). "Guardians Of The Galaxy Becomes Only Summer Movie To Top Box Office For Three Weekends". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on September 2, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
^D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 6, 2014). "Among Marvel Titles, 'Guardians' Has The Most No. 1 Weekends". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 9, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
^Bowles, Scott (October 6, 2014). "'Gone Girl' Edges Out 'Annabelle' In Race That Energizes Box Office: Monday Actuals". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
^Subers, Ray (August 24, 2014). "Weekend Report: 'Guardians' Becomes Biggest Movie of the Summer". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
^ a bBusch, Anita (August 31, 2014). "Box Office End of Summer: Some Profitable Hits In An Overall Blah Season". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 2, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
^Khatchatourian, Maane (September 13, 2014). "Box Office: 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Hits $600 Million Worldwide". Variety. Archived from the original on September 14, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
^"Domestic Box Office For 2014". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
^Coyle, Jake (August 24, 2014). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' retakes box office, passes 'Transformers' for summer's top film". Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 29, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014 – via U.S. News & World Report.
^Tartaglione, Nancy (August 11, 2014). "Intl Box Office Final: 'Turtles' Kicks In $29M Opening; 'Guardians' At $313M WW; 'Maleficent' Tops $500M; 'InBetweeners 2' Smashes UK Records". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
^Tartaglione, Nancy (October 13, 2014). "Int'l Box Office Final: 'Annabelle' Wins Over 'Gone Girl' At Overseas Box Office In Hair-Pulling Race; 'Dracula' Drinks Up $34M+; 'Guardians' Strong In China; More – Int'l B.O. Final". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 13, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
^"Guardians of the Galaxy". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
^"Guardians of the Galaxy". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
^McClintock, Pamela (August 2, 2014). "Box Office: 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Zooms to $37.8M Friday for Likely $92M Debut". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 4, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
^Mendelson, Scott (August 3, 2014). "Box Office: 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' Zooms To $94M Weekend". Forbes. Archived from the original on August 5, 2014. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
^Lowe, Justin (July 24, 2014). "'Guardians of the Galaxy': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
^Collin, Robbie (July 24, 2014). "Guardians of the Galaxy, review: 'a pop-culture gem'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
^Turran, Kenneth (July 31, 2014). "Review: 'Guardians of the Galaxy's' heroes aren't what you'd expect". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
^Dargis, Manohla (July 29, 2014). "Yee-Ha! Space Cowboy Rides to the Rescue". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 4, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
^Roeper, Richard (July 30, 2014). "'Guardians of the Galaxy': A giddy space oddity makes the summer sunnier". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on August 4, 2014. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
^Coyle, Jake (July 28, 2014). "Film Review: 'Guardians of the Galaxy' relaxes Marvel's seriousness, but not enough". Associated Press via Star Tribune. Archived from the original on July 29, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
^LaSalle, Mick (August 1, 2014). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' review: Space jaunt no marvel". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on August 3, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
^"Poor subtitles may deal blow to superhero film". China Daily. October 17, 2014. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
^Wakeman, Greg (July 22, 2014). "Guardians Of The Galaxy Is Marvel's Best Movie Yet". Yahoo! UK. Archived from the original on July 29, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
^Romano, Nick (May 16, 2016). "Steven Spielberg Names 'Guardians of the Galaxy' His Favorite Superhero Movie". Collider. Archived from the original on January 9, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
^"The 100 Greatest Movies". Empire. March 20, 2018. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
^"Oscars 2015: The Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. February 22, 2015. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
^"Complete list of Annie Award 2014 nominees". Los Angeles Times. December 1, 2014. Archived from the original on March 10, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
^Ritman, Alex; Szalai, Georg (February 8, 2015). "BAFTA Awards: 'Boyhood' Wins Best Film, 'Grand Budapest Hotel' Gets Five Honors". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
^"Critics' Choice Awards: The Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. January 15, 2015. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
^Khatchatourian, Maane (June 29, 2015). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' Sequel Gets Title". Variety. Archived from the original on June 30, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
^ a b"Marvel Studios Begins Production on Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'". Marvel.com. February 17, 2016. Archived from the original on June 19, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
^Lincoln, Ross (October 29, 2015). "'Compton's Neil Brown Jr. Signs On For 'Sand Castle'; Pom Klementieff Joins 'Guardians Of The Galaxy 2'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 30, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
^Graves, Sabina (November 18, 2022). "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special Was the First Marvel Studios Project Created for Disney+". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on November 19, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
^Woerner, Meredith (October 25, 2022). "Guardians of the Galaxy Kidnap Kevin Bacon in 'Holiday Special' Trailer, Coming in November". Variety. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
^Anderton, Ethan (December 10, 2020). "'Guardians of the Galaxy' is Getting a Live-Action Holiday Special in 2022 Before Vol. 3 Arrives in 2023". /Film. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
^Paige, Rachel (October 25, 2022). "Unwrap the 'The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special' Trailer". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
^Davis, Brandon (April 22, 2021). "Guardians Of The Galaxy Director Finishes Holiday Special Script". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
^Couch, Aaron (May 3, 2021). "Marvel Unveils 'Black Panther II' Title, First 'Eternals' Footage and More". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
^Couch, Aaron (April 17, 2017). "'Guardians of the Galaxy 3': James Gunn Returning to Write and Direct". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 18, 2017.
^Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 15, 2019). "Disney Reinstates Director James Gunn For 'Guardians Of The Galaxy 3'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 15, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
^Kit, Borys (April 30, 2019). "Robert Downey Jr.'s Massive Payday Tops 'Avengers: Endgame' Star Deals". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
^Schager, Nick (May 13, 2019). "Karen Gillan on the Future of Nebula Post-'Avengers: Endgame' and James Gunn's Return to 'Guardians'". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on June 5, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
^Agar, Chris (May 3, 2018). "Chris Pratt Confirms Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Films Next Year". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
^Kroll, Justin (October 11, 2021). "'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3': Will Poulter To Play Adam Warlock In Next Installment Of Marvel Franchise". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 12, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
External links
Wikiquote has quotations related to Guardians of the Galaxy (film).
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Guardians of the Galaxy (film).
