Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 writer and director James Gunn revealed that he feels ready to leave the Marvel Cinematic Universe behind.
In an interview with Deadline, Gunn shared his feelings about moving on to DC after completing his third and final film in Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. "I feel really comfortable. I feel really good. We did this," Gunn said. "I think [The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special] is a bit of goofy fun that the Guardians needed as an aperitif for Volume 3, which is an enormous film. I had a plan from the beginning."
In the same interview, Gunn also discussed that part of his motivation for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is to give Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) a proper send-off. "The reason why I needed to finish this is because I love the character of Rocket more than any character I’ve ever dealt with before, and I needed to finish his story and that is what Volume 3 is about," he said. "I absolutely needed to do it, and I think we’ve done it in a spectacular way that I can’t wait for people to see."
Goodbye, Guardians of the Galaxy
While the future of the Guardians of the Galaxy within the MCU is currently unknown, Gunn has previously stated that Vol. 3 will be the last iteration of this particular team of Guardians. The director reiterated that sentiment in the same interview, saying, "It’s not ever going to be the same group of characters for a lot of different reasons." He continued, "Who knows what will happen with the Guardians franchise in regards to future characters, but in terms of this group of characters, this is the end of their story."
Releasing under Phase 5 of the MCU, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 follows Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) as he grapples with the death of fellow Guardian Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) following the events of Avengers: Infinity War. As a new threat emerges, however, Quill must rally the rest of the Guardians to protect the universe once more. The third Guardians film will be preceded by The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on Disney+.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to hit theaters on May 5, 2023. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will release on Disney+ on Nov. 25.
Source: Deadline