Comic-Con 2014: Marvel Studios Officially Announces GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2 is Coming in July 2017 - UPDATED

Two years ago at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con International, fans were spoiled when Marvel Studios revealed their full Phase 2 slate of films. With Avengers: Age of Ultron set to come out on May 1, 2015, fans once again felt the hype machine building toward another huge reveal this year for its Phase 3 slate of films.

Some fans were let down tonight at Marvel Studios' 2014 Comic-Con panel. It seems like Marvel will take a slow and steady pace when it comes to revealing their Phase 3 lineup.

So far we know Ant-Man will lead off Phase 3 on July 17, 2015. Captain America 3 will follow on May 6, 2016 but after that there's an astounding amount of untitled movie release dates already secured by Marvel. One of those release dates has now been filled as Marvel officially announced Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is coming on July 28, 2017! Director James Gunn and actor Chris Pratt both announced this to the crowd.

It was not confirmed that Gunn will return for the sequel, probably due to currently working on the deal for a new contract to direct it. And yet Gunn has already gone on record to say that he will come back for a sequel if the first one is a big hit.

UPDATE: Gunn has confirmed on his Twitter account that he will indeed by writing and directing Guardians of the Galaxy 2.

Considering all the positive reviews that Guardians has been receiving since it began screening and its premiere tour, plus it's 100% score on 25 reviews over on Rotten Tomatoes (as of the publishing of this post), it makes sense for Marvel to green light a sequel.

Who doesn't want more of a talking raccoon and a giant tree who only says three words? The answer is everyone will want more after they see it when it hits theaters on July 31 and Marvel is giving you more. You're welcome.


Related Post: If GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY is a Hit, James Gunn Will Return to Direct the Sequel