The third installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is almost upon us. James Gunn, who directed the MCU film series, took to Twitter to announce the official wrap on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. In his announcement, the director expressed gratitude and appreciation towards the cast and crew he has worked with for “nearly a decade”.
The franchise, which launched in 2014, follows Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) a bounty hunter who steals a powerful orb and finds himself pursued by the ruthless Ronan The Accuser (Lee Pace). His atypical journey sees him forming an alliance with several misfits – Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel), and Drax (Dave Bautista). After discovering the true power of the orb and the threat to the galaxy it presents, the bounty hunter and misfits band together to save the galaxy. Pom Klementieff, who plays Mantis, joined the Guardians in their second cinematic outing, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.
The story, which includes a talking tree and a gun-toting raccoon (to some, a trash panda), was undeniably an unusual one, especially for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). However, the franchise has gone on to be very successful and a fan favorite addition to the MCU. As such, after several delays, there is significant excitement around Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3.
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Gunn’s announcement came with a group photo of cast members celebrating the end of principal photography. Sean Gunn, Klementieff, Pratt, Karen Gillan, and Bautista were pictured alongside Gunn. Surprisingly missing from the cast photo was Saldana; this led to another reveal from the director. Gunn let his followers know that the only photo he had with the actress included an unannounced actor in the upcoming movie. As with all things MCU, this has already led to speculations on which actor is joining the MCU and which character Gunn is keeping under wraps.
This is particularly noteworthy as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is already set to introduce several exciting new characters to MCU fans. To start with, Adam Warlock (played by Will Poulter) will be a major character in the film; the character has been previously teased in several MCU entries such as Thor: The Dark World, and previous franchise installments – Guardians of the Galaxy, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is currently scheduled to be released in the United States on May 5, 2023, while a Disney+ special The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will premiere on the platform in December. Check out Gunn’s announcement tweet below: