Director James Gunn has already spoken about a third Guardians of the Galaxy film being in development for some time, but previously he hadn’t committed to returning, opting to wait and finish the second film. Now that the movie is complete and the director will embark on his press tour later this week, Gunn has revealed on Facebook that he will return to write and direct the third chapter!
“Before I was able to honestly answer this, I needed to know it was, in my heart, what I truly felt called to do,” Gunn wrote. “There is a history in Hollywood of haphazard endings to trilogies, and I didn’t want to become a part of that dishonorable tradition of pretending the third one doesn’t exist. I couldn’t do it for the money, and I couldn’t do it because it was what other people wanted me to do. I needed to do it because it was what I needed to do. I have never made choices in my career based on anything other than passion and love for the stories and characters, and I didn’t want to start now….So, yes, I’m returning to write and direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
“In the end, my love for Rocket, Groot, Gamora, Star-Lord, Yondu, Mantis, Drax, and Nebula – and some of the other forthcoming heroes – goes deeper than you guys can possibly imagine, and I feel they have more adventures to go on and things to learn about themselves and the wonderful and sometimes terrifying universe we all inhabit. And, like in both Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, we will work on creating the story that goes beyond what you expect.”
Gunn went on to say that this film will close a chapter on “this iteration” of the Guardians and will lead into the next ten years of Marvel movies.
“Much of what’s happened in the MCU for the past ten or so years has been leading, in a big way, to the Avengers’ Infinity War. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will happen after all that. It will conclude the story of this iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and help catapult both old and new Marvel characters into the next ten years and beyond. I will be working side-by-side with Kevin Feige and the gang to help design where these stories go, and make sure the future of the Marvel Cosmic Universe is as special and authentic and magical as what we have created so far. I promise you, the fans, I’ll do it all with integrity and love and respect for the characters.”
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 stars Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket, Michael Rooker as Yondu, Karen Gillan as Nebula, and Sean Gunn as Kraglin. New cast members include Pom Klementieff, who plays Mantis, Elizabeth Debicki as Aesha, Chris Sullivan as Taserface and Kurt Russell as Ego, the Living Planet.
Set to the backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.
Directed and written by James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is produced by Marvel Studios’ president, Kevin Feige, with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Jonathan Schwartz, Nik Korda and Stan Lee serving as executive producers. The film arrives on May 5, 2017.
