The Marvel Cinematic Universe is currently riding a massive wave of success, as every movie in Phase Three has been met with acclaim and strong box office numbers. But the MCU's future is unclear, as many of the franchise's leading actors are coming to the end of their contracts. Plus, the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise has screeched to a halt, since Disney fired director/writer James Gunn after offensive Tweets from a decade ago resurfaced. The Guardians cast have put their support behind Gunn, with the most vocal being Dave Bautista aka Drax the Destroyer. Bautista has been regularly posting on social media in Gunn's defense, and now he's updated fans on the state of the Guardians in both their own franchise, as well as the upcoming fourth Avengers movie.
It's on permanent hold for now, and that may make a difference in what they do with our characters in Avengers 4. To be honest with you, right now I really don't know. But I know I'm in Avengers 4. I've shot most of it already. I do have two days of reshoots. But other than that, I have some really great scenes that I hope they use. But I guess that it remains to be seen what they'll do with the characters.
Well, there you have it. It looks like the Guardians have most of their Avengers 4 material in the can, while the franchise proper remains on hold for the foreseeable future. And not even the cast knows what the future holds for their scrappy group of heroes.
Dave Bautista's comments to Digital Spy reveal the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole is currently in flux. As the studio makes plans for the future, the MCU's leading actors are being similarly kept in the dark. Avengers 4 is still almost a year away, and The Russo Brothers are currently in the midst of editing the highly anticipated blockbuster. If and when Marvel Studios makes a final judgement about the fate of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, the Brothers will likely have to work around their decision, and appropriately set up the shared universe's future.
If there is a silver lining to be gleaned from this new update, it's that Dave Bautista's Drax definitely has some exciting material to work with in Avengers 4. How the character returns to the MCU is a mystery, as he was one of the many characters who faded to dust in the wake of Thanos' finger snap of death. The only Guardian to survive Infinity War was Bradley Cooper's Rocket, and it's unclear how the fallen heroes will possibly be revived, if at all.
All will be revealed when Avengers 4 arrives in theaters on May 3rd, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
