People are pretty deeply focused on the rest of the MCU's Phase 3 right now, but we can't forget that once this current saga concludes, there's an all-new one waiting right around the corner. Phase 4 is being billed as a new beginning of sorts, which will find new and familiar characters in what sounds like a vastly different landscape. So far, only two films have been confirmed for Phase 4 -- one of which is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Thanks to the ever reachable James Gunn, we now know that the threequel is aiming for a 2020 release date.
James Gunn is perhaps one of the most open directors in the business, frequently answering fan questions on social media and sometimes dropping little nuggets like this one. When asked on Twitter if there would be a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (uh, yeah, dude), Gunn simply wrote back "Coming in 2020." This is the first time that any release window has been given for the movie.
Now, it's important to remember that in moviemaking, release dates can change. One only needs to look at Fox's New Mutants for a very recent example of that. Plans can change, and movies can get pushed back or forward. Black Panther was originally slated to come out in November 2017, for example, so Marvel is no stranger to moving the schedule around. However, it's still cool to have an idea of when we can next see a Guardians movie.
As of now, there are only two confirmed movies for Phase 4: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and the untitled sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming. The Spider-Man sequel currently has a release date of July 5, 2019, meaning it will be the first film of Phase 4. Guardians 3 will come one year later if all goes according to plan. Marvel currently has three dates set aside for films in 2020, May 1, August 7, and November 6. The last Guardians film was released in May, so it seems a safe assumption the third is eyeing that as well. Although, since we're expecting Phase 4 to bring many changes to the MCU, we can't count out the other two dates as possibilities.
We don't know much about Guardians 3, but it's been said that it'll see the end of the current lineup of the team and will assumably set up a new one for future movies. It will also help to expand the cosmic portion of the Marvel Universe, opening up new storytelling options for the future. The movie itself will take place after the events of Avengers 4.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is being billed as an extremely important film for the MCU, so you better believe we'll be keeping a close watch for any new developments. In the meantime, check out what else Marvel has in store with our Marvel release guide.
