After taking some time away from the MCU to work on The Suicide Squad and the Peacemaker HBO Max series, James Gunn is finally preparing to begin production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
While the highly-anticipated sci-fi sequel won't hit theaters until May 2023, the Guardians are expected to get back in front of the camera this November to shoot the third installment and a Disney+ Holiday Special.
As with every James Gunn film, fans are excited to hear what pop hits will be included in Awesome Mix Vol. 3 as the director's legendary music taste has always shined through in his blockbusters.
It will likely be some time before that tracklist is released, but for now, Gunn confirmed one David Bowie classic that won't be included in the sequel.
David Bowie Classic Doesn't Make the Cut
As James Gunn prepares to begin production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the director shared more images of his thorough storyboarding process on Twitter.
After sharing an image of a large stack of pages which “represents 7 1/3 script pages” and the “most difficult section yet,” Gunn began to answer numerous questions from followers regarding the movie.
In response to the post, one fan asked Gunn to play David Bowie's "Heroes" during Rocket Raccoon's highly theorized funeral scene. However, the director quickly shut down hopes of hearing the '70s pop classic in the sequel as “it's been used too much for [him].”
Gunn went on to explain how the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise's legendary soundtrack ties into the pre-production process, confirming “the songs are written into the script.”. The director designs the storyboards to “the rhythm of the songs” and sometimes includes time codes for the songs so the editors know what “piece of a song should land on what shot:”
“The songs are written into the script. The storyboards are designed into the rhythm of the songs. Sometimes I’ll use timecode for the songs, so the editors know exactly what piece of a song should land on what shot.”
James Gunn's Music Taste Shines Once Again
An iconic soundtrack of classics is a critical part of every James Gunn flick with both Guardians of the Galaxy movies and The Suicide Squad being packed with recognizable hits.
Upon the 2014 release of Guardians of the Galaxy, Awesome Mix Vol. 1 became the first soundtrack album of entirely previously released songs to top the Billboard charts, with its successor reaching number four in 2017.
With past films having included classics from "Mr. Blue Sky" to "Hooked on a Feeling," fans are eager to see what hits James Gunn has in store to conclude his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy.
On top of the third installment, the director will also soon begin filming the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special for Disney+. Marvel's first festive special remains shrouded in mystery, however, Gunn has previously said it will connect heavily to the 2023 sequel.
It remains unclear whether the Holiday Special will have a more standard Marvel soundtrack or if it will have its own festive Awesome Mix filled with seasonal hits from the 20th century.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on May 5, 2023, with production expected to commence this November.
