Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 won't be utilizing the StageCraft technology famously used to bring a galaxy far, far away to life on The Mandalorian.
Writer/director James Gunn confirmed the news while responding to a fan on Twitter, explaining that the third Guardians of the Galaxy movie's sets are simply "too big" to employ Industrial Light & Magic's tech. When another Twitter user noted the film's "set design and prop teams have dream jobs," Gunn cracked wise, replying, "My guess is right now they think otherwise as they rush to finish our sets in time (thanks to all the folks working hard on those sets now!)."
For those unfamiliar, ILM's StageCraft technology involves filming live actors and practical set pieces while surrounded by high-definition LED video walls displaying computer-generated backdrops. The Mandalorian was the first show to shoot on one of these soundstages, which are commonly referred to as "Volumes." This technology is also being used for the upcoming Mandalorian spinoff, The Book of Boba Fett, in addition to the Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series and, reportedly, The Acolyte.
Outside of the Star Wars universe, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe sequels Thor: Love & Thunder and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania are both utilizing the StageCraft tech. Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok) and Peyton Reed (Ant-Man 1 & 2) are directing those respective films, having previously worked with ILM's technology while helming one or more episodes of The Mandalorian.
Production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 looks to begin as soon as November, with Guardians 1 & 2 stars Chris Pratt (Peter Quill/Star-Lord), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Dave Bautista (Drax the Destroyer), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Bradley Cooper (Rocket Raccoon), and Vin Diesel (Groot) reprising their respective roles. Joining those actors is Will Poulter, who will make his MCU debut as Adam Warlock in the film after the character was teased during one of the post-credits scenes for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Gunn has also claimed that "dozens of [other] roles have been cast" for the movie but has yet to reveal who they are, much less who they're playing.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens in theaters on May 5, 2023. It's one of the few MCU movies unaffected by Marvel Studios' recent delays.
Source: Twitter