Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 writer-director James Gunn recently explained why the ending of another Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster, Avengers: Endgame, left him feeling frustrated.
Gunn recalled his initial reaction to Endgame's epilogue, which sees Thor (Chris Hemsworth) join the Guardians of the Galaxy's ranks, in an interview with Rolling Stone. "They chose to have that ending in editing," he said. "And I didn't think it was gonna be in there. Endgame came out right after I decided to do Guardians again. So I didn't have much say in what was in Endgame, and then it came out and then I was like, 'What the fuck am I gonna do?'"
"That's when [Marvel Studios President] Kevin [Feige] told me, 'Taika [Waititi's] gonna do [Thor: Love and Thunder], and we'll have the Guardians in it,'" Gunn continued. "I said, 'Thank God!'… To be completely honest, Thor was never going to be in this movie. Taika took a bullet for me. Because I was not going to have him in. I was just gonna start up and there's no Thor." This tracks with previous comments by Gunn, who has repeatedly stated that Hemsworth's God of Thunder was never part of his plans for his third and final Guardians of the Galaxy installment.
James Gunn Talks GotG 3's Runtime
That's hardly surprising, given the sheer number of plot points and character beats Gunn plans to cover in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The filmmaker recently tweeted that the hotly anticipated sequel will feature "a full arc for every major Guardians character," within the context of both the film itself and the wider Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. Gunn added that this was the reason for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's lengthy runtime, which reportedly clocks in at just under two and a half hours.
The specifics of each Guardian's respective arc remain a closely kept secret, although several cast members have hinted at how their characters will evolve in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. This includes Nebula actor Karen Gillan, who teased that the follow-up film will explore the former assassin's continued evolution following the death of her father, Thanos, in Endgame. "[N]ow we're starting to see her character become a little bit of the person maybe she should have been had that not happened to her," Gillan said, in a recent interview.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 arrives in cinemas on May 5, 2023.
Source: Rolling Stone