There is no questioning that the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is one of the greatest achievements of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Prior to the titular group’s big screen debut, general pop culture awareness of their existence was basically zero, and many questioned why Marvel Studios would take such a huge risk on an unknown property. Now they are recognized as some of the most popular heroes in the entire comic book movie canon.
Because of the team's popularity, fans have spent years both expecting and waiting for the third movie in the series, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and soon enough it will be making its way to a theater near you... though it certainly has taken its sweet time getting here. What do we know about the project? When is it coming out? Who is making it? Who will appear? It’s for addressing all those questions and more that we have written this latest installment of our What We Know So Far series, so read on and find all of the information available about the upcoming space adventure.
The Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Release Date Is Set For May 2023
For the longest time, and for reasons that will be explored more in depth below, the release date for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 remained a mystery. Originally the movie was going to be one of the first films released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase 4, but behind-the-scenes chaos threw that plan out of whack. Then the COVID-19 pandemic changed things even further. For years, fans were fully aware that the movie was being made, but had no idea when to actually expect it.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is no longer in Phase 4 as originally planned, and instead it will be second movie released in Phase 5. With its May 5, 2023 release date, it follows the release of Peyton Reed's Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania and will be out in advance of Nia DaCosta's The Marvels (which arrives in November 2023). Our Upcoming Marvel Movies provides the grander context of where it fits into the schedule.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Has Released Multiple Trailers
In December 2022, following its premiere at CCXP a.k.a. Brazil Comic Con, the first ever trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 arrived online, and it was followed by a brand new preview that aired during the 2023 Super Bowl. Both have a wonderful mix of both heavy emotions and comedy that suggest that Marvel fans will be going on quite a ride with James Gunn's conclusion to the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy.
In addition to featuring the movie's many familiar faces, the footage we've seen has provided us with looks at Chukwudi Iwuji as The High Evolutionary and Will Poulter as Adam Warlock (characters that we'll highlight later in this feature).
What Is The Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Rating?
In 2016, Tim Miller’s Deadpool changed the comic book movie world forever. While it had once been thought that superhero features couldn’t be successful without attracting teenage audiences, the Merc With The Mouth put that theory to rest by making a stunning $783.1 million worldwide with an epic number of swear words, a touch of nudity, and quite a bit of ultra-violence. We’ve seen a few more success stories since then as well, including David Leitch's Deadpool 2, James Mangold's Logan, and Todd Phillips' Joker, but Marvel Studios has not yet made the plunge when it comes to R-rated blockbusters. That may be something we see happen soon (specifically with Shawn Levy's Deadpool 3), but it is safe to say that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be certified with a PG-13.
The Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Writer/Director
This one is a bit of a journey, so strap in.
To the surprise of very, very few, James Gunn announced in early 2017 that he had made a deal with Marvel Studios to take the helm of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – confirming that the movie would “conclude the story of this iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy.” He wrote the script himself, and wheels were clearly in motion to make the blockbuster one of the earliest films released as a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Four.
But then everything changed. In the days surrounding San Diego Comic-Con 2018, James Gunn found himself at the center of some controversy due to some nearly decade-old Tweets that had been dug up by a Twitter user who took issue with the filmmaker's political stances. The social media messages, which featured extremely distasteful jokes about horrendous subjects, put the family-friendly Walt Disney Company in an awkward situation, and they made the decision to remove Gunn as the director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in response.
Of course, that was only the start of the controversy. In the following days, weeks, and months, it wasn’t only fans who voiced thunderous support for James Gunn (with over 400,000 signing a petition for his reinstatement), but also many of his colleagues. The members of the Guardians of the Galaxy cast – including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Sean Gunn, Pom Klementieff and Michael Rooker – all signed an open letter requesting that Gunn get his job back, and many fellow directors made their voices heard on the subject as well. When names like Edgar Wright, Taika Waititi, Chris Lord and Phil Miller were proposed as possible replacements at the helm of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the filmmakers let it be known that they stood behind Gunn and had no interest in taking the job.
For more than half a year it was unclear how exactly Marvel Studios would be able to move forward with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but the situation was resolved in mid-March 2019. Following the release of Captain Marvel, the news was made official that a new deal had been made with James Gunn that would see him reinstated as the director of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy capper. This coincided with a few changes for the project in terms of scheduling, as Gunn had spent his months being fired working out a deal with Warner Bros. to both write and direct The Suicide Squad. Now the blockbuster sequel is back on track.
Gunn's work with DC will continue now that he has been named the co-CEO of DC Studios, which likely means that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will likely be his last Marvel Cinematic Universe project. Obviously there are high hopes that he will end his run with the franchise on a phenomenal note.
The Characters And Cast Of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
Unlike most Marvel Cinematic Universe series, the Guardians of the Galaxy movies don't just center on one single hero, but instead an entire family of heroes who have been through hell and back together. The whole core team has confirmed to be back in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, along with some brand new faces.
Star-Lord (Chris Pratt)
The role of Peter Quill a.k.a. Star-Lord completely changed Chris Pratt’s career overnight. One minute he was the goofy, lovable idiot on Parks and Recreation, and the next he was one of the biggest movie stars in the world. He is now known in pop culture as one of the “Chrises” (along with Evans, Hemsworth, and Pine), and he will be bringing all of that star power back to reprising his role as Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
We don't really know what to expect from Peter's arc in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but one issue that certainly comes to mind is the fact that the woman he loves barely knows who he is and split after the battle against Thanos. Of course, I'm referring to...
Gamora (Zoe Saldaña)
Time for a hard truth: Gamora as we knew her in Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is dead. In his quest to retrieve the Soul Stone, Thanos made a sacrifice and threw her over a cliff. It was incredibly sad to see play out in Avengers: Infinity War... and then Avengers: Endgame added a whole special twist on top of everything. In the wake of the massive Infinity War capstone blockbuster, Gamora again exists in the present timeline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but she is a time-displaced version from 2014 who didn't spend half a decade bonding with her teammates and falling in love with Peter Quill.
So what will Gamora be up to in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3? Footage that was shown at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 first showed that she has teamed up with Peter Quill's old crew, the Ravagers. What's unclear is exactly how she joined that group or where she will be going next – including how she ends up reuniting with the titular team.
Drax The Destroyer (Dave Bautista)
During the whole “James Gunn getting fired” saga, nobody stood up for the writer/director the way that Dave Bautista did. Clearly recognizing and fully acknowledging how Gunn very much changed his career by casting him as Drax, Bautista was extremely vocal about how incredibly pissed off the whole situation made him. Even though it could have potentially hurt his career, he wasn’t at all shy about his fury aimed towards Disney, and he even suggested that he would request a release from his contract with the studio if Gunn’s script for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 wasn’t used.
With James Gunn has been rehired, Dave Bautista has fully committed to returning as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3... but it sounds like it will be the character's final appearance. The actor has confirmed that the upcoming sequel will be the end of his journey playing the part. Obviously that could change, but it's doubtful after a January 2023 interview during which Bautista noted that he doesn't want the character to be the biggest part of his legacy as an actor. For now, we're hoping that the film will be partially a lovely send off for the loveable alien.
Rocket (Bradley Cooper)
Don't you fret: the rodent with the most acerbic wit in the universe will be back in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Rocket, voiced by Bradley Cooper in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has experienced a life of real hardship, and it turned him into a real mean sonofabitch, but in the wake of Thanos' snap he really came through to try and help the world. Now he is finally back together with his family, and his latest story is going to change how we look at him.
James Gunn has said many times that Rocket is his favorite character among the Guardians, and the one he most relates to, and the movie is partially be about his origins and how he came to be the smart, scarred creature that he is.
Groot (Vin Diesel)
Of all the characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, weirdly it’s Groot who has the hardest time staying alive. The original version of the living tree sacrificed himself so that the Guardians of the Galaxy could live through their first movie, and while Baby Groot managed to survive Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the slightly older version of himself – Adolescent Groot – was among the characters turned to dust in Avengers: Infinity War. Rather than needing to regrow, however, Hulk's snap with the Nano Gauntlet brought Groot back to life in Avengers: Endgame, and we'll see him hit another growth stage in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
The SDCC 2022 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 footage was first to preview the character's bulkier, more mature look in the sequel, and we've since seen him in both the trailer and the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. We'll have to wait and learn if that is a natural evolution or a result of him spending extra time at the gym.
Nebula (Karen Gillan)
Nebula, played by Karen Gillan, has had a very different trajectory than most in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She started out as a rage-filled antagonist – an ally of Thanos and possessing a true hatred for her sister, Gamora – but her edges definitely softened through the events of both Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Avengers: Infinity War. That arc was taken many steps further in Avengers: Endgame, where she had opportunity to bond with Tony Stark and the other Avengers, and now it seems she is definitely on the side of the good guys.
Nebula remained on Earth for Tony Stark's funeral and she was with Star-Lord, Drax, Groot, and Rocket when the Guardians departed the planet with Thor on-board. Whatever she gets up to in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, we're hopeful that she does get the chance to reconnect with her adopted sister and that they can spend significant time fighting side by side for the same cause.
Mantis (Pom Klementieff)
Brought to the big screen by Pom Klementieff, Mantis became a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy when the team saved her from Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – and her special extraterrestrial skills have been put to good use. She is not only a powerful empath, but also available to put others in a highly suggestive state with just a touch (as evidenced by her time messing with Kevin Bacon's brain in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special).
Speaking of that Disney+ exclusive, the special also reveals that she is Peter Quill's half sister, as Ego was secretly her father. One imagines that we will get to see her have a closer bond with Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as a result, but that has not been confirmed.
Kraglin (Sean Gunn)
While Sean Gunn's Kraglin doesn't get a big moment in the first trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, he is most definitely back as part of the team in the new movie, equipped with Yondu's fin and yaka arrow (as first previewed in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special). We don't know what we can expect from him as far as an individual arc goes, but hopefully his writer/director brother provides him with something special.
In addition to playing Kraglin, Sean Gunn pulls double duty on the Guardians of the Galaxy sets, as he does all of the performance capture work for Rocket. That has been the case during the character's entire run in the MCU thus far, and he has once again played that role in the making of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji)
In addition to featuring all of the returning characters that you love, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will also be introducing plenty of new face – including a fresh and exciting antagonist. The talent of Chukwudi Iwuji clearly left an impression on James Gunn when the two men had the opportunity to work together on HBO Max's Peacemaker, and it led the actor to being cast as The High Evolutionary in Gunn's next MCU entry.
Not much is known about how The High Evolutionary will factor into the plot of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but the footage in the trailer certainly suggests that part of his history within the MCU canon involves the torture and creation of Rocket as we know him. He is a cruel and terrible being in the pages of Marvel Comics, and greatness is expected on the big screen.
Adam Warlock (Will Poulter)
The arrival of Adam Warlock into the Marvel Cinematic Universe was first teased all the way back in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (which is even longer ago from the point of view of the Marvel timeline), but finally he is almost here. The universe's most perfect being will be making his big screen debut with a key role to play in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and he will be played by The Maze Runner and Dopesick star Will Poulter.
The casting announcement for the James Gunn movie was made in October 2021, and it will mark the first time that Poulter has starred in a superhero blockbuster.
Cosmo The Spacedog (Maria Bakalova)
Technically Cosmo The Spacedog doesn't count as a "fresh face" in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, as it's technically a character that we previously met in the original Guardians of the Galaxy, but one special thing that the upcoming sequel is bringing to the table is a fresh voice. Cosmo is actually going to talk and not just growl in Vol. 3, and Maria Bakalova was announced in the role during the Marvel Studios panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2022.
Maria Bakalova became an overnight star in 2020 thanks to her brilliant, scene-stealing performance Jason Woliner's Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, and she's followed that film up making movies including Judd Apatow's The Bubble and Halina Reijn's Bodies Bodies Bodies.
Stakar Ogord (Sylvester Stallone)
Audiences first met Sylvester Stallone's Stakar Ogord in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – the character's appearance being a nod to the original Guardians of the Galaxy lineup in the pages of Marvel Comics. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he is a key member of the group of space pirates known as the Ravagers, and he'll be back in action in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Stallone and James Gunn recently collaborated in the making of The Suicide Squad (the former provides the voice for King Shark), and the two men had a good bit of fun on set – the director even managing to trick the actor into doing some dirty improv lines.
The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special
The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special was shot on the set of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and it was released on November 25, 2022. It's a streaming exclusive that you can only watch with a Disney+ subscription, and it's definitely a primer for the upcoming blockbuster. In addition to revealing that Star-Lord and Mantis are siblings, it's also revealed that the team purchased Knowhere from Taneleer Tivan a.k.a. The Collector and they are running the place.
Be sure to keep your eye on this guide, as we'll keep it fresh with new details on the development of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as they become available to us. For more Marvel-related reading, you can check out where the previous Guardians of the Galaxy blockbusters are positioned in our Marvel Movies Ranking and prepare for the movie's release with our Marvel Movies In Order feature.
