Chris Pratt suggested Kurt Russell play his father in 'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2'

Actor Chris Pratt suggested director James Gunn to cast veteran actor Kurt Russell as his father in Guardians of the Galaxy sequel.

Pratt reprises his role as Peter Quill and his superhero alter ego Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and for the follow-up, fans will be introduced to the character's father, Ego the Living Planet, played by Russell.

But when Gunn was on the hunt for the right actor to portray the important part, he says that Russell never even came up on his short list, reported Entertainment Weekly.

"He was actually not in my head initially but one day Chris suggested him, and I would have been really disappointed if he'd said no. He said, 'Hey, if you have to cast anything, Kurt's a pretty good way to go'," Gunn said.

In the first film, released in 2014, Peter is on the search for his father Ego, who is a sentient planet able to produce humanoid anti-body creations to serve him.

The sequel will centre on the hero discovering where he came from and the complex relationship between father and son.

In addition to Pratt, his fellow Guardians, played by Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, and Dave Bautista, will return for the highly-anticipated sequel, while other newcomers include Sylvester Stallone, whose character details are being kept under wraps.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is slated to hit cinemas in May, 2017.