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There’s much more to come in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including a third Guardians of the Galaxy movie. The first two films were hugely popular and dominated at the box office, so it’s not surprising that Marvel/Disney would create another sequel. Guardians of the Galaxy was released in theaters in 2014 and brought to life the superhero team of the same name from Marvel Comics. The sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, came out three years later with the same ensemble cast, plus some new characters.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the ninth film within Phase Four and the 32nd film overall in the MCU. From the release date to the cast, HollywoodLife has rounded up everything we know so far about the upcoming film below.
Release Date
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is scheduled to be released in theaters on May 5, 2023. The film’s initial release date was set for May 1, 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic obviously changed that
What’s Know About the Story
A trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hasn’t been release yet, so plot details have remained under wraps. Obviously, the film will focus on the members of the Guardians of the Galaxy who are outlaws that ban together to protect the galaxy from threats. The events of the third film is expected to take place after Avengers: Endgame, when the Guardians teamed up with Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and the rest of the Avengers to defeat Thanos (Josh Brolin). Fans will get to see the Guardians before the third film comes out in Thor: Love & Thunder, which arrives in theaters on July 8, 2022. Director James Gunn has confirmed that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 will take place after Thor: Love & Thunder. In July 2021, he described the script for the third film as being “pretty heavy actually” in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “It’s a heavier story, so it’s an emotional process to go through,” James said. It’s not confirmed if this will be the final installment in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.
Cast & Crew
Cast
Your favorite Guardians of the Galaxy stars will be back for the third film. That includes Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Karen Gillan as Nebula, and Pom Klementieff as Mantis. All six of those characters will also appear in Thor: Love & Thunder. Zoe Saldana is also returning as Gamora, who was killed by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War but returned as a younger version of herself who traveled to the present in Avengers: Endgame. Elizabeth Debicki is back as Ayesha, the golden High Priestess and leader of the Sovereign people. Sylvester Stallone returns as Stakar Ogord, a high-ranking Ravager. Director Sean Gunn will reprise his role as Kraglin Obfonteri, second-in-command to the Ravagers. Will Poulter will star as the main villain Adam Warlock, an artificial being created by the Sovereign to destroy the Guardians. Additional newcomers include Chukwudi Iwuji, Daniela Melchior, and Maria Baklahova, though all their roles remain undisclosed.
Crew
James Gunn is directing the third film, as he did with the first two. In July 2018, James was actually fired by Disney after controversial tweets resurfaced on the internet. The entire Guardians of the Galaxy cast issued a statement in support of James, while fans started a petition to reinstate him on the film. Disney eventually reversed their decision and James was hired back to direct the film. He continued working on Guardians of the Galaxy 3 after he complete his work on The Suicide Squad and its spinoff series Peacemaker which stars John Cena.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige is the main producer of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Henry Braham is the cinematographer, Craig Wood and Fred Raskin are the editors, and John Murphy is composing the film’s score.
Production Trivia
Development on the third Guardians of the Galaxy film began around the time that the first movie was released. Pre-production got complicated due to James Gunn’s firing, but one that was all settled, work on the film officially began in April 2021. Filming commenced on November 8, 2021 at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. Karen Gillan marked the start of filming by sharing a photo of the full cast with James to Instagram. “Very glad to have the Guardians family back together with our fearless leader back where he belongs! This movie is gonna blow your socks off so GET. READY. PEOPLE. #gotgvol3 #nebula,” she wrote.
The film was initially going to be shot using Industrial Light & Magic’s StageCraft virtual production technology that’s used on The Mandalorian series, but that didn’t come to fruition since the sets were too big, according to James. Filming also occurred in London, England before officially wrapping on May 6, 2022. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was initially set for release on May 1, 2020 but that shifted to May 5, 2023. It comes out less than three months after Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantamania, and will be followed by the upcoming Fantastic Four film.
Holiday Special
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will premiere on Disney+ in December 2022, five months before the third film comes out. The TV special is created, written, and directed by James Gunn and was filmed during the time of production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It will star Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, and Pom Klementieff in their roles from the film franchise. John Murphy will also compose the score. The Holiday Special is also part of Phase Four of the MCU, though it’s unclear how it will tie into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, if at all.