While James Gunn has spent much of this past year in exile from the MCU after his controversial firing from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it seems that the recently reinstated director has still managed to land an executive producer credit for next month’s Avengers: Endgame.
As per a new update from Walt Disney Studios, the Guardians of the Galaxy helmsman is one of six executive producers involved in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War sequel, the other five being Victoria Alonso, Louis D’Esposito, Jon Favreau, Trinh Tran and the late Stan Lee.
While most of the central cast of Gunn’s Guardians series perished in last year’s Infinity War, it’s safe to assume that most, if not all, of the gang will be showing up once more in Endgame. For one thing, Dave Bautista outright said last year during an appearance on Good Morning Britain that we “definitely see more Guardians.” And since then, Zoe Saldana hasn’t been shy about sharing behind-the-scenes pictures of herself in Gamora makeup. There’s even been some speculation that the film might revisit the events of the first Guardians via time travel.
For now, however, the MCU’s only surviving Guardians stars are Rocket and Nebula, who look set to team up with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to find a way of reversing the snap. And seeing how a third Guardians movie is currently on the way, it feels like a safe bet that they’ll succeed.
We’ll find out just how the team brings back their dusted peers when Avengers: Endgame hits theaters on April 26th. As for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, filming is expected to begin in early 2021, suggesting a 2022 release is likely. In the meantime, Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is headed for cinemas on August 6th, 2021.