Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was originally set to start shooting in late 2018, but production was delayed due to all that behind-the-scenes upheaval that happened last summer. Things are back on track now though, with writer/director James Gunn rehired, but we’ve a while to wait to see the threequel on our screens due to a reshuffling of Phase 4. And it seems Gunn is likely to use this extra time to give his script a bit of a spruce-up.
His brother Sean Gunn, who not only plays Kraglin but also provides the physical on-set performance for Rocket in the Guardians movies, spoke with ComicBook.com and was asked if he’d read the Vol. 3 screenplay yet. Gunn admitted that he hadn’t as he’s waiting to read the finalized version and doesn’t believe the current one is it. “I know, you know…I think my brother may do…he may do another pass, in which case I would read that version,” the actor explained.
From what we’ve heard from those who’ve read the script, it’s in pretty good shape already. Star-Lord himself, Chris Pratt, knows what’s in store and has teased that Gunn’s latest effort is “off the chain.” Likewise, insiders who’ve had a look say that it’s a real tearjerker, so we can presumably expect more emotional moments like Yondu’s death and Groot’s sacrifice in the third film. Plus, when Gunn wasn’t attached as director, his script was still set to be used.
Given how impressive the screenplay is, we shouldn’t expect the director to change much around if his brother’s correct that he’s planning a rewrite. All Marvel movies – or even all movies – have their scripts develop and evolve at every stage of production so this might not mean anything significant. Then again, perhaps the story of Vol. 3 needs some re-contextualizing as it’ll be coming out at least three years later than originally intended, so the MCU will have moved on quite some way.
In any case, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 isn’t on Marvel’s Phase 4 docket, so our best bet is that it’ll be one of the first Phase 5 movies and will arrive in 2022.