We’ve known for a while now that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 would be James Gunn’s final time at the helm of the titular team’s adventures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but nobody’s really asked what happens to the core members of the ensemble cast after that.
While there’s every chance that Marvel Studios could find a new filmmaker to take the reins for a potential Vol. 4, the reaction after Gunn was fired proved that the key players from the series are very loyal to their director, in particular Dave Bautista. The actor was ready to quit the Marvel Cinematic Universe altogether after Gunn was initially fired from the project, but it sounds as though his days might be numbered anyway.
Bautista took to social media and revealed that while Drax might be sticking around the MCU for a little longer after Vol. 3 hits theaters in the summer of 2023, it might be with somebody else in the role, as you can see below. For what it’s worth, Gunn chimed in to try and dissuade his buddy from making that call, but looking at the history between the two of them, it wouldn’t be a surprise in the slightest if they both ended their stints as part of the franchise at the same time.
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1390857505560043526?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1390857505560043526%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthedirect.com%2Farticle%2Fguardians-of-the-galaxy-3-recast-dave-bautista-drax
As for the rest of the cast, you’d have to imagine that Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord would at the very least be viewed internally as a key part of the MCU’s continued cosmic expansion given his name value and star power, even if any hypothetical future outings after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 freshen up the roster to some degree. Just don’t expect Bautista to be involved based on his comments.