‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ in Theaters Friday, Reviews’ Out And All Positive, Sequel Confirmed for 2017; The Start Of Another New Marvel Franchise?

By Kara Michelle Jul 28, 2014 07:11 AM EDT

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy still has to hit the theaters on August 1, Friday, but a sequel has already been confirmed by writer and director James Gunn. The sequel is scheduled for a July 28, 2017, release by Walt Disney.

The latest film about a team of unlikely cosmic superheroes garnered an astounding 100% approval rating from the critics at Rotten Tomatoes' tomatometer. The review aggregator says, "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."

Directed by Gunn from a screenplay he wrote with Nicole Perlman, the expected box office hit stars Chris Pratt as 'Peter Quill/Star Lord," Zoe Saldana as 'Gamora,' Dave Bautista as 'Drax the Destroyer,' Vin Diesel as 'Groot,'Bradley Cooper as 'Rocket,' Lee Pace as 'Ronan the Accuser,' Karen Gillian as 'Nebula,' Michael Rooker as 'Yondu,' Djimon Hounsou as 'Korath,' Glenn Close as 'Nova Prime Irani Rael,' John C. Reilly as 'Romann Dey,' Benicio del Torro as 'The Collector,' and Josh Brolin as the mad Titan 'Thanos.'

Pratts' performance in the sci-fi action adventure film was particularly noted by critics. Digital Spy said, "As good as the supporting cast is, it's Pratts who steals the film. The comedy skills hone on 'Parks and Recreation' serve him well here - he's a big screen hero who's part Han Solo, part Marty McFly, with endearing wit and charm that make him easy to root for."

With a production budget of $170 million, the movie is expected to rake in about $70 million just on its weekend opening. Aside from a confirmed sequel, Marvel revealed during the San Diego Comic Con that 'Guardians of the Galaxy' characters and other content will also be introduced in Marvel Xbox, PC and mobile games like 'Minecraft,' 'Disney Infinity,' 'Marvel Pinball,' and 'Marvel: War of Heroes.'