James Gunn is currently neck-deep into his third film with Marvel Studios, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is just over a year away from its long-awaited release in theaters. Before that, Gunn's fan-favorite team of misfits will make their first post-Avengers: Endgame appearance in just a few months in Taika Waititi's Thor: Love and Thunder.
Marvel finally kickstarted the shortest promotional tour in MCU history by delivering the first trailer for Love and Thunder, providing a short tease for what the God of Thunder will face in his fourth solo movie. While supporting characters like Jane Foster and Valkyrie had their time in the spotlight, the Guardians' appearance in the trailer teased how they will make their presence felt after taking Thor off Earth in the Benatar.
After Gunn first introduced the Guardians in their two solo movies, the director provided his own influence for the characters in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Now, it appears that the director is offering his services once again for the Guardians as they return to the MCU alongside their new Asgardian passenger.
James Gunn on Thor 4 Script Adjustments
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn took to Twitter to address his contributions to the Guardians' Phase 4 comeback in Thor: Love and Thunder, which releases on July 8.
@NerfSolo asked Gunn how much influence he had on the script for Love and Thunder, particularly with the Guardians' roles in the movie.
"James Gunn how much influence did you have over the script for Thor: Love and Thunder? When you read it, did you adjust some of the Guardians of the Galaxy dialogue etc. or did you just say 'yeah, this is great' and let Taika do what he does?"
Gunn kept it simple by saying that he did ask for "some" adjustments to the script, which then got made:
"I asked for some things to be adjusted and they were adjusted."
Gunn Gets What Gunn Wants with Guardians
Nobody in the MCU knows the Guardians of the Galaxy as well as James Gunn, meaning that his involvement with them in any non-Guardians movie is essential to getting them right. Even considering that Taika Waititi is back for his own second solo movie with Thor and the Asgardians, he knows that Gunn is the man to go to with any questions about the team of galactic misfits.
As it stands, the Guardians aren't expected to play a major role in Thor 4, even considering they got a considerable amount of screen time in the sequel's first trailer. Most likely, they'll play a role in the movie's earliest stages before dropping Thor off and going on their way, but they'll be involved in the story enough for Waititi to make sure that Gunn approves of the direction.
Part of what makes the MCU the best in the game at telling a story this big and interconnected is the cooperation between its filmmakers, who have to navigate through numerous solo franchises in which different heroes appear. This is yet another example of that camaraderie at work, and while the end results are still a couple of months away, fans can rest easy knowing the Guardians' story will continue seamlessly.
Thor: Love and Thunder will debut in theaters on July 8.
