With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 left off the Phase 4 lineup, fans have been wondering when we’d get some official news on when the threequel is expected to get going. Well, we’ve now essentially got what we’ve been asking for, as writer/director James Gunn has casually confirmed when his next – and possibly final – Marvel movie will go before cameras.
The filmmaker recently took to Instagram to share a pic of a Fuggler Drax doll, and one fan seized the opportunity to ask Gunn when we can expect to see Guardians 3. The director replied with an honest answer, saying “[it] won’t start filming for a year or so.” This seems to tell us that production’s set to kick off in either very late 2020 or, more likely, early 2021.
Recently, insider Charles Murphy reported that GotG Vol. 3 may have been pegged for a release date in February 2023. If this is the case, it sounds like the movie will be in the can for a long time before it finally reaches theaters. Assuming that Gunn’s vague shooting start date is accurate, initial photography should be wrapped by the summer of 2021.
This gap between the end of filming and its release mirrors that of Gunn’s current project and his DC debut, The Suicide Squad. That’s already much of the way through production and will wrap up in the new year. However, it won’t hit screens until August 2021. Gunn has previously said he won’t move on to Guardians 3 until TSS is 100% complete, so he must be planning to have that locked in by the end of 2020.
In any case, Vol. 3 is expected to be the last time we see the original Guardians together, with it looking set to focus on Rocket and bring his story arc to a close, in particular. The High Evolutionary, the raccoon’s creator, is expected to be the main antagonist of the film, with Adam Warlock also due to be on Star-Lord and company’s tail. That’s all we know for now, but we’ll hopefully get some more concrete Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 news in the coming months. Watch this space.