After temporarily being fired from Marvel Studios, James Gunn is back to write and direct Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
Gunn's latest DC film The Suicide Squad is set to premiere in theaters and on HBO Max August 6. The first reactions to the R-rated adventure are overwhelmingly positive, one critic calling it his "favorite DC Movie."
There's no word on a possible The Suicide Squad 2, but the Peacekeeper spin-off series starring John Cena is an additional project Gunn is working on for Warner Bros.
The latest Guardians of the Galaxy was in 2017 when Vol. 2 hit the big screen. It'll ultimately have been six years between Guardians films, but Gunn has said that the script has been done for years and has more serious elements.
GUARDIANS VOL. 3 IS "A HEAVIER STORY"
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, director James Gunn teased "a heavier story" in Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3. Gunn confirmed that the script has been done for about three years and that "it's an emotional process to go through:"
"For Guardians 3, the script has basically been written for a long time. I've been playing with it in little ways over the years, but it's basically stayed the same since three years ago. It's pretty heavy actually. It's a heavier story, so it's an emotional process to go through."
Gunn added that he is still working on the HBO Max series Peacekeeper but is starting to work on Guardians Vol. 3, his next project.
He also gave an update on The Guardians of The Galaxy Holiday Special, which is set to release on Disney+ in December 2022. Gunn said that the Holiday Special is "easy" and "a blast," adding that he wrote it a couple of months ago and he's "going to shoot that at the same time as Guardians 3:"
"Oh, that's easy. That's a blast. I wrote that a couple of months ago, and I'm really, really happy with it. I'm going to shoot that at the same time as Guardians 3. So we're using some of the same sets. I think it's going to be a good holiday special."
THE END OF THE GUARDIANS' RUN
Actor Dave Bautista has already said Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is “probably going to be the end” of Drax's arc. The galactic team is set to appear in Thor: Love and Thunder, giving them three additional MCU appearances in between their own films.
This heavier tone to Guardians Vol. 3 could be because this is the end for this team that was originally assembled in 2014. If it is the end, who will die?
Technically, two members of the Guardians of The Galaxy have already died. The original Groot died in Guardians 1 and Gamora died in Avengers: Infinity War. However, a Gamora variant from the past is out there in the universe and teenage Groot is now a part of the team.
Rocket was the only member of the team that didn't dust away during the 5 years in between the Snap and the Blip. He says that his lifespan isn't very long in Guardians 1, so he could be an obvious choice to kick the bucket in Vol. 3.
Chris Pratt's Star-Lord may also meet his demise in Vol. 3, but there's so much to explore between him and the new Gamora it is hard to get an idea of where his story will go.
No matter who dies, expect another death, a la Groot in the first film and Yondu in the second, during Vol. 3.
Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3 will premiere on May 5, 2023.
