The third and final Guardians of the Galaxy film hits theaters in just under a month and is set to be the most emotional installment of the series to date. According to writer and director James Gunn, that emotion doesn’t just come from the film, but rather the journey of the entire cast up until this moment.
Given how much has changed in the past six years since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, many fans may not remember that there was a time when the idea of James Gunn directing the third film was in question. Back in 2018. a number of risque Tweets by Gunn from before his time at Marvel surfaced, leading to him being fired from the project.
While this decision ultimately led to The Suicide Squad, and now a whole new era of DC Films alongside Vol. 3, at the time many viewed this as a death blow to James Gunn’s Hollywood career. It’s the support the Guardians cast gave him at this time that he claims make the movie all that more emotional:
“This third movie is much, much more emotional,” Gunn told Empire. “We have this other story, of this group of people who made each other’s careers at the same time. We grew up together in that respect. None of us were big stars when it started out. Zoë [Saldaña] was the biggest. We went through this journey where we went into the belly of the beast, and I was thrown out – and the people that I gave life to by hiring, saved me and brought me back into the fold. They pulled me onto the life raft. And now we’re able to finish all of this together…But the things I think of from that time are the love that I got from my family and friends. I think of how Zoë Saldaña and her husband came over to fix me a meal the night after it happened. How Karen Gillan and Pom Klementieff came over to just hang out with me, to be my friend.”
The third Guardians of the Galaxy film serves as the end of James Gunn’s time at Marvel Studios, as well as the end of this current incarnation of the titular team. Gunn has previously revealed that this film is meant to wrap up the arcs of every character from the trilogy, tying everything together in a satisfying way. While the fate of the Guardians is unclear, it has also been confirmed that some actors such as Dave Bautista will not be reprising their roles in future Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. Only time will tell what the future holds for this rag-tag team of heroes and actors.
What to expect from the third Guadians movie
The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 synopsis reads as follows: “Our beloved band of misfits are settling into life on Knowhere, but it isn’t long before their lives are upended by the echoes of Rocket’s turbulent past. Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him on a dangerous mission to save Rocket’s life – a mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.”
Written and directed by James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Sean Gunn, Sylvester Stallone, Will Poulter, Chukwudi Iwuji and Maria Bakalova.
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