It’s been three years since James Gunn’s
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
landed into theaters. A sequel to the surprise success of the first film,
Vol. 2
upped the ante in every way, introducing new characters like Mantis and Baby Groot, sending our misfit group of heroes on a much more emotional and character-driven journey, all while jamming out to a new set of Awesome Mix hits.
Even for massive Marvel blockbusters, the directors involved must still take some quality rehearsal time to work with their actors and perfect the choreography of critical scenes. While this process is not usually seen by the public, James Gunn has taken to Twitter in order to reveal a few key
Vol. 2
scene rehearsals, as well as the moments that make working on a Marvel movie so fun.
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NEWS
In response to a fan’s question on Twitter about the director’s rehearsal process for his films,
James Gunn shared
a brief answer, followed by a set of pictures from the
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
rehearsals.
I usually rehearse with the actors for a couple weeks before we start shooting. I found a bunch of pics of us rehearsing scenes from #GotGVol2. Here’s the whole gang rehearsing the scene where Mantis feels Quill’s feelings. https://t.co/IYUkhUQqw7 pic.twitter.com/O2WZtpuMsE
Gunn then shared the rest of the pictures in a thread to his first Tweet:
This is the scene with Drax and Mantis on the stairs, the strange beginning of a beautiful friendship. pic.twitter.com/Fp5lbxV2JU
This scene here between Mantis and Drax had to carefully balance humorous and tragic tones, as Drax not only speaks to Mantis about her horrifying appearance, but also her resemblance to his late daughter. There’s no question that James Gunn had to put in a lot of work to perfect the tonal journey of this short scene, and it undoubtedly paid off.
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Here’s Yondu making the ultimate sacrifice for Quill. I wanted to see how they would look shot from above, so this was as much researching the hold as it was going over the lines and performances. pic.twitter.com/tmIhHmaoIO
Speaking of tragic moments, in this picture Chris Pratt and Michael Rooker rehearse one of the most memorable scenes in the entire film. Yondu was given much more of an emotional arc in the sequel, and his relationship with Quill became one of the cornerstones of
Vol. 2
’s story. Yondu’s final sacrifice was an emotional end to his character, and it all started here.
Some of the rehearsal time is taken up just going over lines, and the meaning of a scene, finding our center. This is me, @prattprattpratt, & @zoesaldana discussing their bedroom argument on Ego’s planet. pic.twitter.com/Ze6HPq1UcL
It’s interesting to see that the rehearsal process isn’t just about the movements, but also dissecting the meaning of each scene. The argument between Peter and Gamora comes from a very emotional place in this scene, and it’s exciting to get a look into how the actors work that out.
This is Rocket and Yondu rehearsing “I know who you are, boy, because you’re me!” scene. Yes, my dog was with us a lot. (People are asking what the tape on the floor is - these are all of the different sets’ outlines exactly mapped out). pic.twitter.com/Hl2XXSNHW0
Another emotional and character-driven scene here. Sean Gunn is seen standing in for Bradley Cooper’s Rocket, next to Michael Rooker. It’s fascinating to see how meticulously everything is planned out, from the acting all the way down to the tape that represents the sets.
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Chris and I going over his funeral speech at the end of the movie. 💔 pic.twitter.com/DXIMbbp4nd
Here James Gunn takes another sit-down approach to find the right emotional center of a scene, this time for Chris Pratt’s funeral speech for Yondu at the end of the film. Another scene that balanced a bit of sly humor with tragedy, there’s no doubt that Pratt and Gunn had to go through a lot of trial-and-error to get everything just right.
Going over the aftermath of Nebula & Gamora’s fight. “You were the one who wanted to win, and I just wanted a sister!” pic.twitter.com/XjmdQ62d3G
The scene here came towards the end of the film, where Nebula and Gamora finally confronted each other and got to the core of their conflict. Directing a scene that encapsulates a two-film arc isn’t easy, and here Gunn reveals why the final film pulls it off so well.
How about this one - Ego (Kurt Russell) and his newfound son play ball for the first time? pic.twitter.com/E3qTkJXuJQ
Another emotional moment for Quill, here the hero gets the attention from his father that he’s always wanted. While it’s a small scene that consists of a simple action, there’s still tons of motivation and emotion that goes into it, which makes the rehearsal all the more necessary.
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A map I drew during the rehearsal of the Quill & Gamora bedroom argument of where they go, from out on the balcony, to Gamora on the couch as Quill stands in the doorway, to besides the bed arguing, and Quill pacing away. pic.twitter.com/8X9si5eLdt
Here’s another glimpse of all the planning that goes into each scene. The entire set is mapped out by the character’s movements, as well as a little music note for Peter and Gamora’s balcony dance to Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home To Me.”
In case anyone is wondering who the resident goofball is… pic.twitter.com/BTRA13ujkL
This picture is a great little example of how much fun it can be to work on a film like
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
. Especially when you have Michael Rooker on your cast.
God, I miss these guys. ❤️ Hope you enjoyed this stuff, it was fun for me to look at it. pic.twitter.com/AYuzRKTeTx
And to end it all off, a group picture of the Guardians of the Galaxy. It was such a blast to see a rare glimpse into a film’s rehearsal process, and there’s no doubt that the pre-production process of
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
will be just as fun.
It’s been three years since James Gunn’s
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
landed into theaters. A sequel to the surprise success of the first film,
Vol. 2
upped the ante in every way, introducing new characters like Mantis and Baby Groot, sending our misfit group of heroes on a much more emotional and character-driven journey, all while jamming out to a new set of Awesome Mix hits.
Even for massive Marvel blockbusters, the directors involved must still take some quality rehearsal time to work with their actors and perfect the choreography of critical scenes. While this process is not usually seen by the public, James Gunn has taken to Twitter in order to reveal a few key
Vol. 2
scene rehearsals, as well as the moments that make working on a Marvel movie so fun.
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
In response to a fan’s question on Twitter about the director’s rehearsal process for his films,
James Gunn shared
a brief answer, followed by a set of pictures from the
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
rehearsals.
I usually rehearse with the actors for a couple weeks before we start shooting. I found a bunch of pics of us rehearsing scenes from #GotGVol2. Here’s the whole gang rehearsing the scene where Mantis feels Quill’s feelings. https://t.co/IYUkhUQqw7 pic.twitter.com/O2WZtpuMsE
Gunn then shared the rest of the pictures in a thread to his first Tweet:
This is the scene with Drax and Mantis on the stairs, the strange beginning of a beautiful friendship. pic.twitter.com/Fp5lbxV2JU
This scene here between Mantis and Drax had to carefully balance humorous and tragic tones, as Drax not only speaks to Mantis about her horrifying appearance, but also her resemblance to his late daughter. There’s no question that James Gunn had to put in a lot of work to perfect the tonal journey of this short scene, and it undoubtedly paid off.
Here’s Yondu making the ultimate sacrifice for Quill. I wanted to see how they would look shot from above, so this was as much researching the hold as it was going over the lines and performances. pic.twitter.com/tmIhHmaoIO
Speaking of tragic moments, in this picture Chris Pratt and Michael Rooker rehearse one of the most memorable scenes in the entire film. Yondu was given much more of an emotional arc in the sequel, and his relationship with Quill became one of the cornerstones of
Vol. 2
’s story. Yondu’s final sacrifice was an emotional end to his character, and it all started here.
Some of the rehearsal time is taken up just going over lines, and the meaning of a scene, finding our center. This is me, @prattprattpratt, & @zoesaldana discussing their bedroom argument on Ego’s planet. pic.twitter.com/Ze6HPq1UcL
It’s interesting to see that the rehearsal process isn’t just about the movements, but also dissecting the meaning of each scene. The argument between Peter and Gamora comes from a very emotional place in this scene, and it’s exciting to get a look into how the actors work that out.
This is Rocket and Yondu rehearsing “I know who you are, boy, because you’re me!” scene. Yes, my dog was with us a lot. (People are asking what the tape on the floor is - these are all of the different sets’ outlines exactly mapped out). pic.twitter.com/Hl2XXSNHW0
Another emotional and character-driven scene here. Sean Gunn is seen standing in for Bradley Cooper’s Rocket, next to Michael Rooker. It’s fascinating to see how meticulously everything is planned out, from the acting all the way down to the tape that represents the sets.
Chris and I going over his funeral speech at the end of the movie. 💔 pic.twitter.com/DXIMbbp4nd
Here James Gunn takes another sit-down approach to find the right emotional center of a scene, this time for Chris Pratt’s funeral speech for Yondu at the end of the film. Another scene that balanced a bit of sly humor with tragedy, there’s no doubt that Pratt and Gunn had to go through a lot of trial-and-error to get everything just right.
Going over the aftermath of Nebula & Gamora’s fight. “You were the one who wanted to win, and I just wanted a sister!” pic.twitter.com/XjmdQ62d3G
The scene here came towards the end of the film, where Nebula and Gamora finally confronted each other and got to the core of their conflict. Directing a scene that encapsulates a two-film arc isn’t easy, and here Gunn reveals why the final film pulls it off so well.
How about this one - Ego (Kurt Russell) and his newfound son play ball for the first time? pic.twitter.com/E3qTkJXuJQ
Another emotional moment for Quill, here the hero gets the attention from his father that he’s always wanted. While it’s a small scene that consists of a simple action, there’s still tons of motivation and emotion that goes into it, which makes the rehearsal all the more necessary.
A map I drew during the rehearsal of the Quill & Gamora bedroom argument of where they go, from out on the balcony, to Gamora on the couch as Quill stands in the doorway, to besides the bed arguing, and Quill pacing away. pic.twitter.com/8X9si5eLdt
Here’s another glimpse of all the planning that goes into each scene. The entire set is mapped out by the character’s movements, as well as a little music note for Peter and Gamora’s balcony dance to Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home To Me.”
In case anyone is wondering who the resident goofball is… pic.twitter.com/BTRA13ujkL
This picture is a great little example of how much fun it can be to work on a film like
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
. Especially when you have Michael Rooker on your cast.
God, I miss these guys. ❤️ Hope you enjoyed this stuff, it was fun for me to look at it. pic.twitter.com/AYuzRKTeTx
And to end it all off, a group picture of the Guardians of the Galaxy. It was such a blast to see a rare glimpse into a film’s rehearsal process, and there’s no doubt that the pre-production process of
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
will be just as fun.
