'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2': Casting Kurt Russell Was All Chris Pratt's Idea

Any way you slice it, Kurt Russell appearing in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is amazing news. He's perfectly cast as the long-lost father of Star-Lord, and the fact that said long-lost dad is actually Ego the Living Planet goes beyond our wildest dreams. (Seriously: I don't think any of us at /Film could've dreamed this up in a hundred years.) So who do we have to thank for this casting coup?

Apparently, Star-Lord himself. According to James Gunn, casting Russell was all Chris Pratt's idea. Because if you get the rare opportunity to choose your own dad, why not aim high and go for Kurt Russell? 

Speaking to Empire, Gunn revealed Pratt was the first one to think of Russell:

He was actually not in my head initially, but one day Chris suggested him, and I would have been really disappointed if he'd said no. Hey, if you have to cast anything, Kurt's a pretty good way to go.

When Gunn first approached Russell about the role, the actor hadn't even seen the first Guardians of the Galaxy. "I'm one of the four idiots that's never seen it," he confessed last year. One assumes he's fixed that by now, but regardless, the first Comic-Con footage suggested Russell would have no trouble fitting into this weird little corner of the Marvel universe. His Ego isn't even fazed when the overly literal Drax asks whether his human form has a penis. (For the record, the answer is yes.)

However, that doesn't necessarily mean his relationship with his son will be smooth sailing from the get-go. Star-Lord already has a father figure in Yondu (Michael Rooker), but he's long been curious about the true identity of his biological father. Explained Pratt:

You're going to see these characters having to endure the realities of being in a family. You're talking about a guy who's been longing to know who his father is for a long time. He'll discover if that person lives up to the expectations he has in his head.

Well, being Kurt Russell is probably a pretty good start in terms of living up to those expectations.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 opens May 5, 2017.