Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is trucking along, folks. Marvel Studios has been very tight-lipped about confirming any Marvel Studios films coming out after Avengers 4 in order to prevent spoilers about how that jaw-dropping Avengers: Infinity War cliffhanger resolves. There are only two movies post-Infinity War that Marvel has confirmed are for sure happening: Spider-Man: Far from Home and Guardians of the Galaxy 3. The former begins filming this summer, and we now have an update on when to expect cameras to roll on the latter.

Collider’s Christina Radish recently spoke with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige in a 1:1 interview at the press day for Ant-Man and the Wasp, and when asked about the status of Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Feige said they have a script and a rough filming date:

“[Writer/director] James [Gunn] has delivered a draft and we begin official pre-production on that very, very soon. It’ll be shooting early next year. Captain Marvel finishes in about two weeks, Spider-Man starts in about two weeks, and then Guardians 3 will start early next year.”

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Image via Marvel Studios

Gunn has been teasing work on the Guardians 3 script ever since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hit theaters in May 2017, just as he began working on the Vol. 2 script the weekend that the first Guardians came out. So it’s exciting to know that he now has a draft completed, even if that script could potentially change significantly between now and when cameras start rolling.

Gunn has said that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is intended to conclude this chapter of the Guardians franchise, specifically relating to the current lineup of Guardians, so it’ll be interesting to see what new characters are added to the mix. Moreover, given that Zoe Saldana’s Gamora kicked the bucket in Infinity War, fans will no doubt be curious to see if she’s announced as part of the cast when filming begins, or if Marvel plays this one close to the vest since it will start production before Avengers 4 is released.

Marvel Studios hasn’t announced an official release date for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 just yet, but many expect it’ll fill the slot of the untitled Marvel movie landing on May 1, 2020.

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Image via Marvel Studios
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Image via Marvel Studios
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Image via Marvel Studios