The firing of James Gunn last July was a controversial decision that left Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in a state of limbo, but now that the director is back on board, Karen Gillan feels that all is once more right with the project.
The news of Gunn’s return broke back in March, prompting Gillan to express her solidarity with the filmmaker in a loaded three-word tweet: “We are groot.” In a more recent interview with the LA Times, however, the Nebula actress was able to elaborate more on her response:
“I was so happy because it truly feels like we’re part of this little family on ‘Guardians.’ And to have your leader ripped away from you is a really weird feeling. I feel that it wouldn’t be the same type of ‘Guardians’ movie without him. So much of it is his personality. The sense of humor, his taste in music, the characters — there’s so much of him in there, so that would have been quite a strange sensation to make it without him. We were just so happy when he came back. It feels like everything’s as it should be now.”
Gillan’s enthusiasm about Gunn’s return is shared by many of her co-stars. Chris Pratt, for instance, told People last month that he was “really proud of Disney” for their decision to rehire the filmmaker. Dave Bautista, meanwhile, was one of Gunn’s most vocal defenders during his months in exile, and has even claimed that he wouldn’t have done Vol. 3 without the director’s involvement.
Now that Gunn’s back at the helm, we can safely assume that Bautista and the rest of the Guardians line-up will reprise their roles for the upcoming threequel. The team even has a new addition in Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, who ended Avengers: Endgame squabbling with Star-Lord over who gets to be leader.
As it stands, no release date has been officially announced for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, though it’s generally assumed that the film will be with us no later than 2022. The Hollywood Reporter even relayed word recently that the feature will begin filming next year, suggesting that a 2021 release isn’t yet out of the question. Either way, you can expect Marvel Studios to offer some clarification before the summer is over.