'Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2' premieres in New York City

NEW YORK, New York (WABC) -- It's a big weekend for Marvel fans, with "Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2." hitting theaters nationwide.

And stars Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista had plenty of reason to smile at the New York City premiere.

"Even though it's a super fantastical movie about science fiction with the aliens and everything, the Guardians are the anti-heroes," Saldana said. "So through their flaws, they're able to become identifiable."

The film is the sequel to the sleeper hit that made Chris Pratt a movie star and expanded the Marvel Universe to the tune of almost $750 million.

"What resonates so deeply with me is the message of chosen family, you know, because a lot of people don't have a mother and a father and a sister and a brother," Bautista said. "A lot of times, we choose our family and we embrace them as our family."

Director James Gunn had more money to work with this time, after the unexpected success of his 2014 movie featuring a TV actor he didn't even want to cast at first.

"James Gunn was like, chubby guy from 'Parks and Recreation'? I just don't see it,'" Pratt said in 2014.

And the actress chosen to play the assassin named Gamora almost turned down the role. Saldana feared she'd already done too many similar movies, but eventually, FOMA won out.

"The fear of missing out of working with an amazing filmmaker and an unconventional cast that felt special to me was more frightening than taking a risk of doing a third science fiction movie," Saldana said.

Both films proved risks well worth taking for all involved, and the music is another story. Michael Rooker, who plays Yondu, said the soundtrack of the franchise is a character all its own.

"Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2" hits theaters May 5.

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