Guardians of the Galaxy 2 has been confirmed by Marvel Studios.

The company's Comic-Con International panel concluded on Saturday (July 26) with the announcement that a Guardians of the Galaxy sequel will open on July 28, 2017.

Director James Gunn made the announcement in a video link-up from London to the Comic-Con festivities in San Diego.

His co-writer Nicole Perlman had all but confirmed that Guardians of the Galaxy 2 had been greenlit on Friday (July 25) when she said that Marvel was pleased by early buzz for the upcoming movie.

It was also announced during the panel that Josh Brolin will play cosmic titan Thanos in Guardians of the Galaxy and in future Marvel films, thus confirming widely-published rumours.

Producer Kevin Feige said in a statement: "Josh brings all the weight and stature necessary for a character as iconic and significant as Thanos.

"We're incredibly excited for fans to see more of him as the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand."

Director Gunn recently told Digital Spy that he remains hopeful that Guardians members Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Groot (Vin Diesel) and Rocket (Bradley Cooper) will eventually meet The Avengers.

Marvel also announced at Comic-Con that a Guardians of the Galaxy animated series will air on Disney .

Guardians of the Galaxy is released next week, opening in UK cinemas on July 31 and August 1 in the US.