The James Gunn directed “Guardians of the Galaxy” has not even hit theaters yet and we are already hearing talks about a sequel. The folks over at Joblo.com (via Collider.com) recently reported that Marvel will invest in a sequel to “Guardians of the Galaxy” with a planned release date set somewhere in 2016.

Also see: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy‘ Promo Art Revealed

guardians-of-the-galaxy-01

A jet pilot gets stranded in space, and must unite a diverse team of aliens to form a squad capable of defeating cosmic threats

The first installment stars Vin Diesel (Groot), Bradley Cooper (Rocket Racoon), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Lee Pace (Ronan the Accuser) and Chris Pratt (Star-Lord). The story follows Peter Quill when he finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits — Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Peter discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand – with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.

“Guardians of the Galaxy” is set to be released on August 1, 2014.