'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' premiere date, cast news update: New monster villain teased

Fans of Marvel Cinematic Universe properties will be getting a lot of movie treats next year. With a number of box office hits to its name this year, MCU is expected to level up the excitement with "Thor and Hulk team up in Thor: Ragnarok," "Spider-Man: Homecoming," and, of course, James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy" sequel. Recently, a concept art for the "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" featuring a new monster villain.

Published by Empire Magazine, the image teaser shows the Guardians locked in fierce battle with a giant tentacled monster. This fuels speculations of a new villain that the band of space misfits will face in the second installment of the movie.

The unnamed humungous space monster looks terrifying with its numerous tentacles and rows of very sharp teeth. Star-Lord, Gamora, and Rocket try to subdue the monster with their blasters. Drax, on the other hand, tries to lunge his double blades at the monstrous creature. Groot seemed frightened as he faced away from the enemy.

The monster as shown in the concept art appears to be an original creation specifically created for the sequel with inspiration drawn from obscure Marvel Comics content such as Taserface.

Also, the "Guardians of the Galaxy" has noticeable traces from Disney's "Star Wars" franchise. The teased monster may have also picked up elements from "Star Wars" creature designs.

Meanwhile, "Fast and Furious" and Groot actor Vin Diesel recently said that the "Guardians of the Galaxy" universe will have a cross-world appearance in the upcoming Avengers movie slated for big screen release on May 4, 2018. But Gunn assured that the separate sequel won't be a lead-up to the Avengers lineup.

"There will be no Infinity Stones in Vol. 2. There will be infinity nothing. It's a story about the Guardians and isn't meant to lead to anything else," said the Guardians director per Game Spot report.

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" is scheduled for May 5, 2017, release. The original cast, namely, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, and Michael Rooker will be reprising their roles in the upcoming installment. Newcomers include Sylvester Stallone, Elizabeth Debicki, Nathan Fillion, and Kurt Russell to its cast.