Although Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was one of the first movies to be announced for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 4 (or whatever the next upcoming slate of movies is being called), the firing and eventual re-hiring of writer and director James Gunn complicated its release schedule. We won’t be seeing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as soon as was previously believed, but word’s come in that it could begin filming as soon as next year.
Back in March, it had been rumored that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 wouldn’t start rolling cameras until early 2021, but THR is saying that production is actually set to begin sometime in 2020. It’s possible that the launch date is for late in 2020, thus being only a few months separated from the previously rumored date, but for Guardians of the Galaxy fans, the prospect of the team’s threequel coming sooner than previously expected is undoubtedly welcome.
When Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was first unveiled, it was generally believed that it would be ready to go by summer 2020. Marvel never officially confirmed this, but after Disney fired James Gunn last July, any release date plans that might have been penciled in were erased, and the project was put on indefinite hiatus.
In between when James Gunn was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and then re-hired in March, he boarded the DC Extended Universe to write and direct The Suicide Squad, and that’s still in play. Production on that sequel/relaunch is set to begin in September, and because it’s not coming out until August 2021, it’s possible Gunn could find himself in a situation where he’s directing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and still working on The Suicide Squad on the side.
Sean Gunn Knew In Advance About James Gunn’s Reinstatement As Guardians 3 Director
In any case, assuming that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 does end up beginning production in 2020, there’s a slim chance it could be ready to go by November 5, 2021, which is one of the dates that Marvel has blocked off. However, given all the VFX work that goes into making these movies, I suspect that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 won’t arrive until 2022, presumably taking the May 6 date, as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 also opened in May.
Warning: SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame are ahead!
While no official plot details have been revealed for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 have been revealed yet, the currently-playing Avengers: Endgame did hint at what might be coming up by showing Thor accompanying the Guardians back into space and Star-Lord looking for the past version of Gamora, who is now running around the present day MCU. Let’s also not forget that one of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’s mid-credit scenes set the stage for Adam Warlock to eventually be brought into this universe.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on what’s happening with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and you can learn what else is in development for the MCU by looking through our handy guide.
