James Gunn thanks Guardians of the Galaxy fans

James Gunn posted a rather heartfelt message on his Facebook page aimed toward those who saw and are planning to see Guardians of the Galaxy:

"Thanks to all of you who saw (and are seeing) Guardians of the Galaxy this weekend, from the bottom of my heart. The Guardians are a group of oddballs, outcasts, and geeks. The movie is for anyone who ever felt cast aside, left out, or different. It's for all of us who don't belong. This movie belongs to you. And, today, I think we're doing okay.

I am of course happy with all the film has accomplished box-office-wise. But what touches me the most is that the film I told the folks at Marvel I wanted to make two years ago is the film that you're seeing in theaters today - it's that so many of you seem to be directly EXPERIENCING the film I INTENDED. The cast, the producers, the crew, and I felt like we were making something special while we were making it. But it is very rare that a director's INTENTIONS in creating a film, or a scene, or a character, or a line of dialogue are, seemingly, specifically what is experienced by an audience (not to mention critics!), and that seems to be what has happened here. You have allowed a talking raccoon - for a moment, a minute, or a day - to make you a little more human. And for that, I am profoundly grateful.

If I relied on myself to implement these intentions, the film would be a shambling mess. But instead, I had a wonderful cast, genius producers, an incredibly brave studio, sublimely talented visual effects artists, great editors, and the best damn crew of mostly-British bastards to actually implement these intentions for me. Where I had a good idea they would, through alchemy, transform it into a great one. Many of you involved are friends of mine on Facebook. Many of you will read this somewhere else. I love you all.

You may remember me posting here a couple weeks ago how sad I was to be finishing up the film, that I was having trouble letting go of Rocket, and that I was going to miss him. But seeing him (and Groot, and the rest of the team) embraced by the world like they have been, to be UNDERSTOOD, makes it a wonderful letting go. It's like giving a foster pet up for adoption to the most wonderful parents in the world.

And, of course, I'm not really saying goodbye as, while many of you have been enjoying the film, I've spent this weekend hard at work on the sequel. I couldn't help myself! The results are nice but it's really the creative process I love and that keeps me going. I'm on fire with this thing! The Guardians have so many hardships and heartaches and triumphs ahead of them, and I can't wait to share them with all of you.

Onto week two...

Love, James"

To speak directly to this man... James, you are just amazing. I have been a fan for years and was so excited when I first saw you had been hired to direct Guardians of the Galaxy. Now that I have seen it I want to tell you that it was amazing and a lot better than I expected. It was funny and it brought us back to the realization that we are not grounded in reality and that movies should be fun. I hope you come back for the sequel because Marvel and Hollywood in general needs your talent. Thanks again, man. 

Zoe Saldana joins Guardians of the Galaxy

Looks like Zoe is returning for some more Disney magic.

It was announced today that Zoe Saldana is in talks to join the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy as Gamora. This adds to Saldana's fairly busy schedule which includes the release of Star Trek Into Darkness along with filming two Avatar sequels.

Here is some background on Gamora if you are unaware:

The last of the species Zen Whoberi, Gamora was found and trained by Thanos as a young child. She became a skilled martial arts assassin (nicknamed the deadliest woman in the galaxy) loyal to Thanos as be promised her the chance to avenge her parents' death. As a teenager she was raped and nearly killed by thugs that Thanos later killed. He restored her health and gave her superhuman qualities.
Gamora later joins Drax the Destroyer and The Avengers in a battle against Thanos after seeing what a threat he truly is. She even attempted to slay Thanos herself.

Now... with that all said, I can see why they cast Saldana. She is fairly tough and has done a lot of green screen/motion capture work with Avatar. I accept.
Previously cast was Chris Pratt as Star-Lord and Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer. James Gunn (Slither, PG Porn) is directing and moving quickly to make the August 1, 2014 release date.