James Gunn has been one of the busiest directors in recent memory.
Gunn first entered the vast world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe when he was tasked to direct the 2014 hit, Guardians of the Galaxy. Since then, he has also directed the film's sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, released in 2017.
Along with many other upcoming projects, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed during Disney Investor Day in December 2020 that a third movie titled Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was on the horizon.
Gunn was then fired in 2018 due to the backlash he received about past Tweets he had posted, leaving Vol. 3 without a writer and director. However, Marvel Studios rehired him a year later in 2019 to return to the franchise.
In December, during the announcement, Gunn was busy working on the post-production for his upcoming DC film, The Suicide Squad as well as the pre-production of its HBO Max spin-off, Peacemaker, which all but confirmed that the third installment of the Guardians franchise wouldn't begin production for some time.
With the official date of the movie's release being May 5, 2023, Marvel Studios and James Gunn still have plenty of time before the ball starts rolling for the project.
However, Guardians of the Galaxy lead actor Chris Pratt, who portrays the character of Star-Lord, has recently given insight on when the upcoming film will roughly begin shooting.
CHRIS PRATT ON WHEN GUARDIANS THREEQUEL FILMS
Star-Lord actor Chris Pratt recently sat down on Jimmy Kimmel Live! where the pair discussed the plans for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Kimmel asked Pratt when he would be shooting the next Guardians of the Galaxy movie, and Pratt replied by saying that filming would be at "the end of this year and the beginning of next year" and indicating that production would span from November 2021 to April 2022:
"We will be shooting that at the end of this year and the beginning of next year, so like November to maybe April."
Kimmel also asked Pratt if he had read the script and knew any information on the film, with Pratt confirming he has.
He revealed that "the script was written years ago," but the film was forced to be put on hold. Pratt even showed his excitement that Gunn would be returning to direct:
"Yes, well the script was written years ago because we were going to do it years ago, and due to unforeseen circumstances and then a pandemic - I can't - I don't even really remember what happened, but for some reason we didn't shoot it and now, by the grace of God, we will shoot it, and it will be directed by James Gunn, and that's really f***ing cool!"
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 INCOMING
With the first two films of the trilogy being so successful under Gunn's direction, it is hard not to be excited about Vol. 3.
It is clear by Pratt's reaction and enthusiasm while answering the question that he is more than ready to jump back into the character of Star-Lord and take on whatever Gunn has ready for the team this time around.
In December, when the project was presented during Disney Investor Day, it seemed like the release date was so far away. With the pandemic pushing everything back even further, it was easy to get discouraged about all the exciting films that would be released within the next few years.
However, May 2023 is now less than two years away, and hearing that filming will begin this year is something to be extremely enthusiastic about. Fans have already had projects released this year, such as WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and upcoming films like Black Widow and Eternals will most definitely grab viewers' attention and give them something to talk about until 2023 rolls around.
Hopefully, no other "unforeseen circumstances" will come up between now and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's release date, and fans can expect to be sitting in a theater on opening night watching the unorthodox, hilarious team of heroes on their next journey.
