The "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" release date is confirmed for May 5, 2017, but it isn't necessarily tied in to "The Avengers" and "The Infinity War" movies.

Writer and director James Gunn isn't bothered by the pressure of the "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" release date, especially the expectations of the film's tie up to "The Infinity War."

Marvel Studios is just expanding to fit into the broad Comic Univers, but Gunn says the Guardians have earned their way as a standalone installment which doesn't have to depend on other franchises, like The Avengers.

In an interview with Sky Movies, Gunn comments:

"I don't feel beholden to that stuff at all. I think it's really about the Guardians and what they are doing. We're not subservient to the Avengers. 'Guardians 2' is not a movie that's made to move toward 'Infinity War.' It's something that's made to move toward future cosmic movies, so I don't feel that that is something that affects me that much." (comingsoon.net)

The cosmic story arcs of the Marvel Universe will play out on film, with release dates stretched out until 2019. The "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" cast is retained in Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, and Vin Diesel.

A crossover between Marvel's team affiliations is ever-possible, though.

"That could or could not include a couple of Avengers and a couple of Guardians meeting up, or all of the Avengers and all of the Guardians. But, we do inhabit the same universe and they're pretty big personalities that are likely to, at some point or another, run into each other."

Gunn is aware of the potential for linking the movies together, especially tie-ins to some of The Avengers characters.

"[We've] "talked about all sorts of possibilities for a crossover. What the basic plan is... it could always change at any minute."

The Avengers: Infinity War" release date is slated for May 4, 2018, and May 3, 2019 (Parts 1 and 2).