Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the “beginning of a whole other element of the Marvel Cosmic universe,” according to writer-director James Gunn.
Chatting to IGN about Disney’s newfound Guardians theme park ride, Vol. 3, and the overarching Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, Gunn noted that he’s held talks with Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige about the seemingly inevitable expansion of the MCU into cosmic territory.
It’s a journey that began with the release of the original Guardians of the Galaxy three years ago, and though it was deemed to be an exercise in risk-taking at the outset, Star-Lord and the gang have since cemented their place as some of the most likable characters populating the MCU – the sheer love and fandom generated by Baby Groot alone is a testimony to the Guardians’ prevalence. And with the oncoming third movie in the Guardians trilogy, Gunn looks set to take things to another level.
We talk about it all the time. It’s already a part of what I’m doing with Marvel and the conversations that Kevin and I have every day. When we’re talking about Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and that story, that’s a story that will lead to other stories. It’s innate to the DNA that that’s the end of a trilogy but it’s the beginning of a whole other element of the Marvel Cosmic universe. That’s a part of what I’m doing now.
Given the interconnected nature of Marvel’s billion-dollar franchise, the next port of call for James Gunn is ensuring his spacefaring A-holes are properly represented in Avengers: Infinity War. They’ll naturally take a beat seat to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes when the action gets underway, but the filmmaker will still be on hand as a creative consultant when called upon.
I think my situation with Infinity War is almost exactly the same was what my situation with this is. It’s dealing with the characters, changing what needs to be changed, saying what’s being done well and checking in and making sure everything is going to plan.
James Gunn may be in the process of composing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but make no mistake, the galactic threequel is on hold until after the release of Avengers: Infinity War in May of next year. The writer-director recently hinted at a possible three-year gap between volumes two and three, which would align the final (?) entry in Star-Lord’s adventure for release in 2020.