Anyone who has seen Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 can attest that the film is packed to the brim with pop culture references. Between a cameo by David Hasselhoff and a nostalgia-inducing soundtrack, the movie feels as meta as a comic book film can get. It's so meta, in fact, that Ego actor Kurt Russell couldn't stop himself from saying Star Wars instead of Star-Lord during filming. We have an early copy of the sequel's Blu-ray, and Russell's botched takes from the disc's special features are something to behold. In one take, Russell specifically says:
Well, even where I reside out past the edge of what's known, we've heard tales about the man they call Star Wars. We could be in trouble...
I suppose it makes sense to see Kurt Russell get his wires crossed in these sequences. Guardians of the Galaxy already shares an immense resemblance with George Lucas' iconic franchise, and the name "Star-Lord" is already very close to Star Wars in pronunciation. Beyond that, it's no secret that Kurt Russell almost played Han Solo (along with guys like Tom Selleck and Christopher Walken) before Harrison Ford stepped in for the role of the smuggler back in the 1970s. When diving into another beloved sci-fi property, it probably becomes pretty easy to get mixed up.
The humor of the situation was ultimately not lost on director James Gunn, who took to social media to confirm that this was indeed an issue on the set of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and that it was a legitimately weird sight as they worked on the film.
Sadly for Kurt Russell, the Star Wars mix-up didn't end after one take. His issues continued to the point where he pretty much tried to use play it off as part of the scene, saying during another take:
We've heard tell of the man they call Star Wars. Ugh. Yes, Star Wars. He's all of Star Wars. We've heard of the movie Star Wars.
Of course, we should probably point out that Star Wars exists within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so it's not necessarily an issue in terms of continuity. As most of you will likely recall, during the events of Captain America: Civil War, MCU newcomer Spider-Man makes a direct reference to The Empire Strikes Back to rally Team Iron Man against Scott Lang's imposing Giant Man persona. If the franchise from the galaxy far, far away exists in the MCU, then it's entirely possible that Ego had heard of it by the time he met Peter Quill. Maybe that's even where he got the idea to say "I'm your dad" in a truly Darth Vader-esque fashion.
James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is currently available on Digital HD, and the DVD, Blu-ray and 4K editions of the film will become available later this month on August 22. The cosmic team of misfit heroes will make its next appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe during the battle against Thanos when Avengers: Infinity War premieres in theaters next year on May 4, 2018.
