James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is currently in production, with stars Pom Klementieff and Dave Bautista having been snapped in full makeup as they make their way to the set.
Even though the cosmic threequel isn’t coming to theaters until May 2023, Marvel Cinematic Universe fans will get to see the ragtag cosmic misfits this summer in Thor: Love and Thunder, with Zoe Saldana’s Gamora rumored to be the only absentee.
Klementieff was seen getting out of the car in a bomber jacket carrying a hefty backpack and in full Mantis makeup, while Bautista was also seen in full Drax getup walking onto the set under a long blue poncho, and you can check out the behind the scenes snaps below.
Kelmentieff joined the Guardians in Vol. 2 as Mantis when the team journeyed to Quill’s father’s planet, only to find a scared subject who had been trying to soothe the Celestial being to sleep. She has showcased her considerable power already, though, by soothing both the Celstial Ego and Mad Titan Thanos into a somewhat comatose state for short periods of time.
Drax has had some of the funniest lines within his MCU film appearances, even if Bautista isn’t entirely thrilled that he’s been largely reduced to comic relief. The former professional wrestler totally improvised his famed “Why is Gamora?” line in Avengers: Infinity War, and he’s shown so much chemistry with Mantis that James Gunn would love to see the duo paired up for a spinoff.
It’s safe to say that if the actors are here on set, they survive whatever ordeal they’ll be going through in Thor: Love and Thunder, which is good news for MCU fans who could really do with a break after the death of Iron Man and the loss of Captain America. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is due to be released on May 5, 2023.