By the time Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on May 5th, 2023, exactly seven years to the day will have passed since the intergalactic outlaws’ last adventure, which is the longest gap between standalone movies in Marvel Cinematic Universe history.
It would be fair to say that fans have been waiting a while to get themselves reacquainted with Star-Lord and the gang, but at least Thor: Love and Thunder and next year’s Disney Plus Holiday Special will tide folks over in the interim. It’s going to be a hugely emotional experience for the cast and crew, especially when James Gunn and Dave Bautista have long since confirmed that they’ll be washing their hands of the Guardians once Vol. 3 arrives.
In a new interview with Yahoo! Movies, star Karen Gillan admitted that she and Pom Klementieff were left in floods of tears after reading the script for the first time.
“We read it in the same room together and then looked at each other, and we were in floods of tears. You’re learning more about existing characters and on a deeper level. I’m really excited at exploring Nebula, post-Thanos.”
It’ll be interesting to see where Thor: Love and Thunder leaves the Guardians by the time the credits roll, especially when Loki has now established the 2014 version of Gamora to have survived Avengers: Endgame as a rogue variant, something the Time Variance Authority doesn’t take kindly to.
We can expect laughs, action and emotion in equal measure, but regardless of how the story pans out, it’ll be a bittersweet moment for MCU supporters everywhere when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 draws a line under one of the brand’s most popular franchises.