Guardians-of-the-Galaxy-Poster-sliceWith just under two months to go before Marvel puts the most unknown property from their Cinematic Universe into theatres, the studio is beginning to ramp up their ad campaign for James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and things are looking awesome.

The first TV spot aired during the NBA finals, giving a thirty-second look at the summer blockbuster, and now Marvel has released online the sixty-second extended spot that they ran over the weekend, along with a new TV spot for our shores.

From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and The Avengers, comes a new team – the Guardians of the Galaxy. An action-packed epic space adventure, Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill 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 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.

Chris Pratt is takes the lead as Peter Quill / Star-Lord, starring alongside Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Ophelia Lovibond, and Peter Serafinowicz, with Benicio del Toro returning as The Collector.

Gunn is directing from a script first penned by Nicole Perlman, with Gunn doing a rewrite after coming on board to direct.

Gunn’s also given an update on the IMAX 3D post-conversion, and his comments are certainly encouraging, promising his involvement throughout the process to ensure it’s handled right.

Guardians of the Galaxy will be released in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D on 31st July in the UK, a day earlier than its August 1st US release date.