Star-Lord and his crew will get back to guarding the galaxy early next year.

Director-writer James Gunn revealed during a Periscope Q&A on April 1 that filming for "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" would start in February 2016 at Pinewood Atlanta Studios, according to ComicBookMovie.com. The first movie shot at Pinewood Studios in London.

Gunn also announced that he had turned in a treatment to Marvel and would meet with the studio to start work on the screenplay. So far, he has completed 70 pages saying he's "very, very far along."

Marvel considered Gunn's idea for the "Guardians" sequel a "risk" but the director described his meeting with the studio as the "best experience he ever had with a pitch." The story will deviate from the comic books and give Gunn more creative freedom.

"It's different than what's in the comic books," Gunn said. "Peter Quill's father is somebody different in the comics. So then when the movie came out, we got green-lit on the sequel right away. I went in and I sat down with those guys and I'm like, 'Okay, here's what I think the sequel should be.' And they were like, 'Oh, whoa. That's risky, but okay.'"

"Guardians of the Galaxy" will premiere on May 5, 2017.