'Guardians of the Galaxy 2' release date, spoilers, cast news & update: Dave Bautista says Drax is going to be more 'badass' in the sequel

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The sequel to the successful 2014 Marvel superhero flick "Guardians of the Galaxy" doesn't arrive until 2017, but fans are already expecting a meatier film that would delve into the lives of the galactic heroes introduced in last year's debut. Guardians of the Galaxy found orphan and earthling Peter Quill A.K.A. Star-Lord (Zero Dark Thirty's Chris Pratt) teaming up with the alien assassin Gamora (Star Trek's Zoe Saldana), the hulking otherworldly Drax (wrestler turned actor Dave Bautista), and forest-like creatures with an exemplary skill set, Rocket and Groot, voiced by Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel, respectively.

Bautista, whose first major film role is that of Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy, is currently doing media rounds to promote the new James Bond film Spectre, in which he plays the assassin, Mr. Hinx. He recently spoke to Cinemablend to talk about the upcoming sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy, where he is set to reprise his role of the muscular alien.

While Bautista admits he has not seen the script being penned by writer and director James Gunn, who also created the first film, he said, "Having talked to James about the film—I hate to give any spoilers—but I know he’s really going to focus on Drax being a badass."

The first film left Drax feeling determined to defeat Thanos to avenge the death of his family, and viewers would like to see more of his and the other characters' histories, and of course, the comedy factor that Drax brings to the table of misfits.

"He’s still not really going to get metaphors, even though he thinks he does, but he’ll still be that very literal Drax," Bautista shared. "I think you’re going to see a lot more badass Drax."

While Gunn vehemently denied any crossovers with other Marvel superheroes such as the Avengers, the 46 year old isn't one to lose hope. He said, "As far as the storyline as a whole, I honestly don’t know. But I hope they’ll continue on with that path, and— fingers crossed as a fan—I hope that it will tie in with The Avengers somewhere down the road. I’ve only heard rumors...I hope that it ends up there because I would love to go there."

Meanwhile, Variety reported last week that Oldboy actress Pom Klementiff is already in negotiations to star in the sequel, in which role, it was not yet disclosed. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 will be produced by Kevin Feige and is set to hit theaters on May 5, 2017.