Despite being the trilogy-closing chapter to one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most popular franchises, the development process for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hasn’t exactly been plain sailing. The first two installments received positive reviews from fans and critics alike, as well as earning over $1.5bn at the box office, but the third entry hit the skids when writer/director James Gunn was fired by Disney over controversial tweets that he had made in the past.
It seemed as though the cast and crew, with Dave Bautista being particularly vocal, were ready to revolt in the wake of the studio’s decision, leaving the future of Vol. 3 surrounded by question marks. Ultimately, Gunn was rehired by Disney to finish the Guardians trilogy, but not before he had already agreed to jump ship and direct another team-based superhero movie for Marvel’s rivals DC, with shooting on The Suicide Squad now well underway.
The status of Star Lord and the gang’s next cosmic adventure has been a burning question for a while now, especially with the MCU locking in release dates for their movies all the way up to May 2022, with no sign of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The comic book blockbuster likely won’t arrive until 2023 at the earliest, but star Karen Gillan admitted in a recent interview to promote Jumanji: The Next Level that although the start of production hasn’t been decided, she had read the script, and claimed it was the best of the entire trilogy.
“I think it’ll be in the next couple of years, but I’ve read Vol. 3 and I think it’s the best of the trilogy. I know that we’re all really excited to have James Gunn back as our fearless leader. So we’re all just really looking forward to getting back together.”
The events of Avengers: Endgame have effectively reset the MCU, which gives the narrative of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 plenty of new directions to take. Many are hoping that Thor will feature given how well he played off the team in the Infinity Saga’s closer, but we likely won’t find out for a while yet given that James Gunn will be focused solely on The Suicide Squad for the next eighteen months.