The first two Guardians of the Galaxy films derived their soundtracks full of iconic needle-drops from the “Awesome Mix” tapes that Peter Quill’s mother created for her young son prior to her death. Director James Gunn confirmed that the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is in production now, will take a slightly different approach – just not in the way claimed by a new rumor that started circulating on social media.
As per Twitter account @Moth_Culture, the rumor said that the threequel will “blend a shortlist of modern songs from Star-Lord’s time on earth [sic] post Endgame.” Gunn drew a line through this, confirming that Vol. 3‘s song choices will come from Peter’s Zune, which he was given by Kraglin at the end of the second movie.
“Nope,” Gunn stated. “Quill left Earth as soon as he could. The songs are from the Zune.”
Seeing as Vol. 2 already established Quill’s next playlist, this rumor never really held up to much scrutiny in the first place. Plus, having contemporary music on the soundtrack would make a dent in the retro appeal of the Guardians mixtapes. Having said that, it makes sense that fans would be eager to see the impact of Quill’s brief return to Earth.
As it happens, Gunn seems keen to underplay Quill’s trip to Earth (in a follow-up tweet), he confirmed Peter didn’t even do so much as visit relatives or his mother’s grave while there — so it’s unlikely it’ll have any bearing on his arc in the next film. Given that he’s bound to be laser-focused on finding Gamora, it seems Star-Lord won’t be in the mood to get all homesick and reflect on his origins.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is coming to theaters in May 2023.