Slowly but surely, the Powers That Be are making preparations for Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It’s one that will presumably see the superhero franchise expand further into the cosmos, with talk of The Eternals and many more LGBTQ characters being introduced in the not-so-distant future. Perched on the cusp of that transition period is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which, much like Spider-Man: Far From Home before it, will help drag the MCU into a bold new era.
So, what can we expect? A “freaking awesome” adventure, according to Chris Pratt, while we understand James Gunn is scheduled to fire up production in early January. That timeline was essentially confirmed by Marvel boss Kevin Feige during a recent interview with Collider, where he turned in status reports for Vol. 3, Captain Marvel and Far From Home, the latter of which is due to commence production in two weeks’ time.
Writer/director James [Gunn] has delivered a draft and we begin official pre-production on that very, very soon. It’ll be shooting early next year. Captain Marvel finishes in about two weeks, Spider-Man starts in about two weeks, and then Guardians 3 will start early next year.
Other MCU-related tidbits revealed by Kevin Feige include the long-rumored Avengers 4 title reveal (spoilers: don’t hold your breath), a possible Young Avengers movie, and the enigma of Marvel’s Quantum Realm, which may well have implications for future installments in the MCU.
And James Gunn’s third Guardians movie? It’s currently targeting a release in May of 2020, where it’ll presumably be joined by that mooted standalone pic for Black Widow.