Series director James Gunn confirmed that upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 film will likely be the current group’s last hurrah.
Since the world was introduced to the movie adaptation of Marvel‘s Guardians of the Galaxy comics back in 2014, fans couldn’t help but fall in love with the dysfunctional group of quirky heroes.
So far the band of misfits has appeared in a total of four films, two of which were their solo movies, while the other two were the star-studded Avengers titles. Despite being together on-screen for almost six years now, fans still can’t seem to get enough as they eagerly await the next installment in the series.
Unfortunately, series director James Gunn has some bad news for the Guardians groupies. He recently confirmed on social media that the current team’s upcoming film will presumably be their last together, and the final one with Gunn at the helm.
James Gunn says 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' will 'probably' be his last — 'And probably the last with the current team. But you never know!'
(via jamesgunn | IG Story) pic.twitter.com/umSydJ8k0d
— Fandom (@getFANDOM) June 15, 2020
Gunn’s Instagram Q&A
According to movie publication Screen Rant, the veteran superhero film director took it to Instagram earlier this week to answer a question that’s been on the minds of Guardians of the Galaxy enthusiasts for a while now.
A fan asked if the upcoming Guardians sequel would be the last in the series, or if there was more in store for Star-Lord and his crew. To which Gunn responded, “It’s probably my last one, and probably the last with the current team. But you never know!”
ICYMI: James Gunn said that future #GuardiansOfTheGalaxy films "probably" won't feature the current cast. Gunn (via his Instagram stories) expressed GOTG 3 would be his last time to direct the film's as well. (Source: J. Gunn via Screenrant.) pic.twitter.com/p8UICE8U3X
— Geeks + Gamers (@GeeksGamersCom) June 15, 2020
The director made it clear a couple of months ago that he had no plans of doing a fourth movie. So him bowing out of the series after Guardians of the Galaxy 3 really comes as no surprise. After all, Gunn wrote all the films and had planned them as a trilogy since the beginning.
He did, however, make sure to use the terms “probably” and “you never know,” hinting at possible Marvel plans to continue the superhero team’s story in some shape or form.
A Guardians of the Galaxy roster change
All good things must come to an end, and fans knew the day would come when they’d have to bid adieu to their beloved super-team. Still, it’s definitely going to be hard saying goodbye to the present Guardians squad comprised of Star-Lord (aka Peter Quill), Gamora, Drax, Rocket, Groot, Mantis, and Nebula.
That’s not to say that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 will spell the end of the franchise as we know it. In the comic books, the team goes through multiple roster changes, with a few of the characters being hinted through the course of the movies.
Fans were—and probably still are—expecting the appearance of cosmic being Adam Warlock, who eventually becomes a member of the group. Marvel could also introduce Nova, another interesting high-profile character who was, at one point, a part of the Guardians.
#CastingDirectorGame
It’s your job to cast Sam Alexander (Nova) for a live action movie. Who do you cast? #SHPOLL20 pic.twitter.com/e9fpcETT7h— Martin Sanchez (@marsanj47) May 9, 2020
For now, all fans can do is speculate as they eagerly await Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It’ll be interesting to see how Gunn wraps up his long-standing trilogy, and which direction Marvel decides to take it from there.
Image courtesy of Marvel