James Gunn has apparently settled on Kurt Russell for a key role in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, as the actor is in negotiations to play the father of Peter Quill (AKA Star-Lord), Chris Pratt’s character who leads the titular group of space-bound superheroes.

Russell has always been a popular draw, but after a few years taking it easy he’s been on a serious hot streak in 2015, with a big roles in Universal’s Fast And Furious 7, Quentin Tarantino’s Hateful Eight, and the horror-western Bone Tomahawk under his belt. If he takes the part – apparently he hasn’t yet seen the script – he’ll join a packed cast that includes returning stars Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Benicio del Toro and Sean Gunn, along with newcomer Pom Klementieff as the superhero Mantis.

Russell is of course only the latest actor to really class up the Marvel joint, following news that Cate Blanchett is eyeing an unrevealed role in Thor: Ragnarok.

Though plot details about the film are the stuff of rumor only, it’s known that Peter Quill’s father, revealed at the end of Guardians Of The Galaxy to be of unknown alien origin (Quill being from Earth), will play an important role in the film. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 is slated for release May 5, 2017.

The Wrap originally reported the news.