Cast your mind back to August, to a time when the Internet was still reeling after James Gunn’s firing, and you’ll likely recall the rumors that the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 delay would create a knock-on effect on Avengers 4, resulting in minor story changes for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
The speculation can be traced back to Dave Bautista (Drax the Destroyer), who claimed that the uncertainty surrounding Guardians 3 would lead to a rethink regarding the fate of Star-Lord and Co. in Avengers 4. Alas, that’s simply not the case, as Infinity War directors Joe and Anthony Russo took a moment to debunk Bautista’s assertions during last night’s Q&A session with Collider (h/t MCU Cosmic).
Here’s proof of that rebuttal courtesy of Twitter:
Russos just shot down the bogus rumor that A4 was changed due to the status of Guardians 3. They said they shot the movie already, so the delay didn’t affect A4.
— ManaByte (@ManaByte) November 29, 2018
Filming on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 isn’t expected to commence until at least 2021, given Marvel Studios still hasn’t appointed James Gunn’s replacement. Not that they’re in any hurry, mind you, as Avengers 4 (and Captain Marvel!) has taken precedence for the time being, as the curtain begins to fall on Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It’s also important to remember that Avengers 4 had already completed filming by the time Disney decided to part ways with James Gunn – save for pick-ups and additional photography – so it’s not all that surprising to learn that the delay of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 had no tangible impact on its MCU brethren.
Speaking of which, we know Avengers 4 will be with us on May 3rd of next year, with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 expected to follow suit shortly thereafter. When, exactly, we’re not sure, but we’ll keep you right up-to-date as more information comes to light.