While anticipation builds for Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 – which opens in theaters on May 5th and will surely start the 2017 summer movie season on a high note – news broke out Monday regarding the status of Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3. (Because, well, that’s just how contemporary Hollywood franchise work these days.)
James Gunn, writer-director of both Guardians features, took to social media to answer what has become a million dollar question for some – as in, would he return to helm a third installment of the Marvel staple. He wrote, “”after many months of ruminations and discussions” that in fact, he will.
Gunn, who prior to his Marvel tenure developed a cult cred after directing indie genre pieces like Slither (2006) and Super (2011), received tremendous credit after bringing the first Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) feature to the screen. (Gunn recently penned the art-house genre feature The Belko Experiment.) Not only was the film commercially and critically viable, but it made household names out of fairly obscure Marvel characters likes Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Baby Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel). Aside from the commercial success – a global take of $773 million – the film is credited for revitalizing the Marvel brand thanks to its tongue-in-cheek tone and mod soundtrack.
Gunn further noted the genesis of the Guardians stories and how the Marvel product so far has been served as build-up to next year’s eagerly anticipated Avengers: Infinity War, stressing that Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 will serve as a lynchpin for the next phase in Marvel storytelling. Check out Gunn’s full statement below:
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