Unfortunately, there’s simply no chance of James Gunn being rehired for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 at this point due to his inappropriate tweets from yesteryear resurfacing last month. Still, folks have been wondering what will happen with the completed screenplay that Gunn handed into studio execs earlier this year.
That remains unknown for now – though we’ve heard rumblings that it’ll still be used – but what we can tell you with absolute certainty is that Vol. 3 will very likely be delayed, as Marvel’s halted production on the project today. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “crew members, at this stage a small group that was prepping for pre-production, are being dismissed and are free to look for new work.”
Now, this doesn’t mean the threequel’s being cancelled, far from it, just that Marvel and Disney need some time to regroup on the film and figure out how to proceed now that Gunn’s not behind the camera. Whether that means finding only a new director or a new director and someone to re-write the script remains unclear, but it’s pretty obvious that things won’t be getting off the ground anytime soon.
While many will no doubt stand by Disney, believing they did the right thing, it’s still hard not to feel a tinge of sadness over the fact that James Gunn won’t be the one calling the shots for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. No matter where you sit in regards to whether or not he should’ve been given another chance, you can’t deny that he was a crucial part of the success of Star-Lord and co. and we just can’t imagine the threequel reaching the same heights as its predecessors without him.
Not to mention that with production now halted, it’s only going to do more to fuel those fears that the project’s in trouble and the studio’s having difficulty finding a replacement. Granted, this isn’t any reason to write it off just yet, as a temporary halt in production may actually allow Disney and Marvel to properly sort everything out and find the right creative team to help bring Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to fruition.
Only time will tell, but as soon as we hear something more, you’ll be the first to know.