It's hard to believe it has been over six years since the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie elevated the team from a lesser-known Marvel property to a major player in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Following their appearances with the Avengers, the team will return in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. While the film was absent from last year's massive Phase Four reveal and still does not have a release date, that hasn't stopped rumors and speculation about a movie that won't be out until at least 2022 from circulating online.
Though we still don't know much, let's take a look at what we do know about the Guardian's next adventure.
JAMES GUNN IS BACK
At one point, GOTG3 was scheduled to begin filming last January. However, production had to be delayed following the firing of James Gunn over offensive jokes posted on his Twitter account years earlier. Gunn, who also wrote and directed the previous two Guardian's movies, had finished the script for the sequel and was set to return as director. Disney rehired Gunn last year, though Star-Lord actor Chris Pratt previously confirmed that Gunn's script would have been used regardless of the director's fate.
Production will have to wait until Gunn finishes work on The Suicide Squad, but all accounts so far in regards to the script seems t0 indicate that the wait will be worth it. Pratt has said that the script is "off the chain" and, according to Karen Gillan, who plays Nebula, it's "the best of the trilogy."
Nothing is known about GOTG3's plot or cast, though it seems safe to assume that Pratt, Gillan, and other central cast members will return. The one thing Gunn has said is that the events of Avengers: Endgame will not change anything as he was aware of Endgame's content before he started writing.
ITS PLACE IN THE MCU TIMELINE
It might seem obvious since Thor: Love and Thunder was announced as part of Phase Four last summer and GOTG3 still does not have a release date, but Gunn has confirmed that the next Guardians film will take place after the upcoming Thor sequel. Upon its announcement last summer, some fans wondered when the events of the movie would fall in the MCU timeline since Thor was last seen leaving Earth with the "Asgardians of the Galaxy" during Endgame.
While we know that Thor 4 will feature the return of Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, who will take on the role of Thor, and King of New Asgard Valkyrie's search for her queen, nothing has been revealed about what Chris Hemsworth's Thor will be up to in the movie.
Before the announcement of Love and Thunder, Hemsworth expressed openness to reprising his role alongside the Guardians saying "I'll work with any of those guys." There's no word on if Hemsworth will appear in GOTG3 (or if any of the Guardians will appear in the next Thor for that matter), but Gunn has confirmed that the title of the film will not be "Asgardians of the Galaxy."
STAR-LORD AND MANTIS WILL HAVE MAJOR ARCS
We may not have any concrete plot details, but Gunn has revealed that GOTG3 will be huge for Star-Lord and Mantis.
During an Instagram Q&A, Gunn responded to a question about which character arcs he has enjoyed writing the most. After stating that Nebula and Rocket were two of his favorite to write so far and that their arcs would continue into the third movie, he specifically mentioned Peter Quill and Mantis, played by Pom Klementieff, as characters with "great things coming up."
When we last saw Quill, he was preparing to leave Earth in search of the 2014 version of Gamora, who disappeared following the final battle against Thanos. Should GOTG3 continue where Endgame left off, the search for a Gamora with no memories of or connection to the Guardians would certainly lead to some interesting developments for her former lover.
As for Mantis, her limited screen time in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame means that we haven't seen much of her as a Guardian or how joining the group following the destruction of Ego has affected her. GOTG3 could expand upon how she fits into their found family alongside Quill, Drax, Rocket, Groot, and Nebula.
Written and directed by James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 does not currently have a release date. The film is reportedly scheduled to begin production in February 2021.