A taped segment during the Marvel Studios panel at the 2014 Comic-Con International in San Diego revealed that 'Guardians of the Galaxy 2' will be released on July 28, 2017.

Lead actor Chris Pratt who plays Star-Lord/Peter Quill and Director James Gunn appeared in this recorded presentation to confirm a sequel and its play date.

Gunn will return as the writer and director of the Guardians of the Galaxy 2. He confirmed this on his official Twitter account:

"Yes, I'm writing and directing the sequel to #GuardiansoftheGalaxy for theaters July 28 2017. But first go see the first one out next week!"

Many fans were pleasantly surprised about the early news of a second installment, while the original movie has yet to be shown nationwide.

Guardians of the Galaxy premiered last July 21 and is expected to hit US theaters this coming August 1.

Guardians of the Galaxy is based on a comic book series that began in 1969 set in a far, far away universe, and centers on the planet-hopping Peter Quill whose childish and selfish demeanor was brought about by a pitiful childhood.

A majority of the entertainment pundits who were able to attend the premiere gave the film rave reviews.

Scott Mendelson of Forbes wrote:

"Guardians of the Galaxy is a terrific swashbuckler. It's among Marvel Studios's best films thus far and their most visually dazzling motion picture to date."

The Guardians of the Galaxy received an 93% aggregate approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes, a top film review website.

Guardians of the Galaxy features a stellar cast composed of Djimon Hounsou (Korath), Lee Pace (Ronan), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Dave Bautista (Drax) and more.

Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel lent their voices for the characters of a genetically engineered raccoon named Rocket and a good-natured living tree named Groot, respectively.

The movie distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture, ticked the $170 million scale in production budget.