Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 hits theaters on May 5, but already—and even before filming was finished—people have been asking and speculating about whether there would be a part three, and more than that, if James Gunn would continue to helm the surprisingly popular comedy space opera arm of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For awhile, Gunn was cagey about whether he’d come back, and even mentioned a few times that he might bow out following this year’s movie. But, ahead of what was surely going to be a non-stop barrage of questions about it at the upcoming Vol. 2 press junket, Gunn took to Facebook to clear the air once and for all.
So, yes, James Gunn will be back to write and direct Guardians part trois, and it makes a lot of sense. He’s clearly doing it for the right reasons—love of characters and the desire to tell the proper ending is way more important than money or expectations—and he has the distinction of being the only filmmaker to write and direct three Marvel films. Though he didn’t originate the project at Marvel (writer Nicole Perlman did that), the first film did greatly benefited from Gunn’s particular comedic and needle-drop-filled take on a potentially silly space adventure. With Guardians 2, he becomes only the second person to write and direct a Marvel film after Joss Whedon. In a studio system that feels at times like movies by committee, Gunn has eked out a tiny corner of authorial control.
He also says in his statement that Guardians 3 will happen after the cataclysmic events of Avengers: Infinity War and will be both the ending of this iteration of the Guardians team and will help propel the next batch into the future. He says he’ll work with Kevin Feige/et al to shape the Marvel Cosmic Universe going forward as well. It seems like where a lot of unique directors have opted not to join or remain in the Marvel machine, Gunn is grabbing the alien tree creature by the branches and aiming for Orion’s belt.
Are you jazzed about James Gunn’s eventual Guardians trilogy? What characters are you hoping join up? Let us know in the comments below!
Images: Marvel
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Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!
