As we gear up to say goodbye to this iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy, we also know that this send-off extends to a name closely associated with this branch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, director and writer James Gunn will be officially out of Marvel Studios territory as he becomes completely focused on the DC Universe where he has the task of building up a new extended universe in theaters. In an interview with Collider, Gunn broke down how that feels.
Here's what Gunn told Perri Nemiroff when asked for a leadership tool that's specific to the MCU that he'll have to leave behind:
"Well, honestly, I’ll really miss my friendship — not my friendship because I'm still friends, but I'll miss my relationship with Kevin [Feige] and Lou [D'Esposito] because I really like those guys, and they are incredibly helpful. You know, Kevin's not as — you know, he lets us kind of do our own thing more so than on the first movie where he was around a little more, but he made one really big change. He made one suggestion for Vol. 3 that was really helpful. And so I’ll really miss that wisdom and the friendship."
Gunn continued by pinpointing a filmmaking tactic that he knows will apply to both the MCU and DCU, and also to filmmaking in general. It's not something he came up with on his own or learned via experience, but rather, something he gained from a Kenny Rogers song. He explained:
"I really believe that the lyrics of Kenny Rogers' '[The] Gambler' have all the clues for being a filmmaker, which is, you got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away and know when to run. And that is with every single thing that I do on the movie. You have to know when to fight and you need to know when to chill out and back down, and that has to do with other filmmakers, it has to do with actors, it has to do with producers, it has to do with studio heads. You have to know how to sort of ooze your way through things in a kind way."
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Is Already a Standout, Critics Say
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 has already received high praise from early screenings, with film critics dubbing it the “best Marvel movie since Avengers: Endgame.” In his positive review, Collider’s own Ross Bonaime called the movie "funny, exciting, and emotional," and underscored "how much better the MCU is when Marvel lets a creator see out their vision, instead of placing their vision on the creator." That's something that is frequently pointed out as one of the biggest problems of Marvel Studios — and might be the reason the latest movies aren’t being received with as much enthusiasm as the ones before.
The cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 features Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon, Will Poulter as Adam Warlock, Maria Bakalova as Cosmo the Spacedog, Asim Choudhry as Teefs the Walrus, Linda Cardellini as Lylla the Otter, Sylvester Stallone as Stakar Ogord, and Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 premieres in theaters this Friday, May 5. You can watch our interview with James Gunn and Chris Pratt below: