EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3
The story behind the making of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is worthy of a film all its own. Originally meant to be an early entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 4 – and reportedly planned to establish a larger space-set story for the upcoming phases – fate intervened in 2018, when former Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn fired director James Gunn after a number of ill-advised tweets from years earlier resurfaced. And in a strange mirroring of the old crosstown rivalry between Marvel and DC Comics, Warner Bros. Pictures quickly offered Gunn the chance to write and direct The Suicide Squad, which, in the fullness of time, also led to his ultimate destiny as the co-CEO of DC Studios and the director of the next Superman film.
The third Guardians film, meanwhile, seemed to languish, as it was pulled off the schedule and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige halfheartedly attempted to find a replacement for Gunn. Horn reportedly reversed his decision to remove Gunn after news broke of the DC film deal, although his return would not become public until March of 2019. And though the script existed before the unpleasantness began, Marvel revealed Gunn would return to the project after his duties to The Suicide Squad (and the subsequent Peacemaker spin-off series) concluded for a February 2021 production start date. Filming ultimately began that November.
That more or less brings us back to the present. The film was shot in 2021 and part of 2022 without incident, and it made a marketing debut at that year’s San Diego Comic-Con, where fans got their first glimpse of what Gunn and Feige promised will be a conclusion to the story the director began with the first film.
But how can a story in the MCU really end? Using some selections from Gunn’s official Meredith Quill playlist, let’s take a look at what we know about Vol. 3 so far and see if we can’t determine how and why this is the last ride for your Guardians of the Galaxy.
From the trailers and an appearance by Chukwudi Iwuji in full costume at Marvel Studio’s SDCC presentation, it is clear the film will concern a conflict between the Guardians and the High Evolutionary – the entity seemingly responsible for augmenting Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) into his current form. Back in the comics, the High Evolutionary is a human man from Manchester, UK whose academic interest in genetics and evolution went too far. A chance meeting with an incognito Eternal led to the creation of Isotope A – a substance capable of his fondest wish: the forced rapid evolution of species.
Creating animal-human hybrids he dubbed the “New Men,” he soon accepted a title from his creations: “Lord High Evolutionary.” His mad experiments led him to battle with Thor and any number of Marvel heroes. Those fights, in turn, saw him flee planet Earth for a place he could do his research in peace.
In terms of the film, it is unclear if he is a lad from Manchester or an alien, but his aim to evolve all species to his specifications and build a perfect society remains the same. And if the trailers are anything to go by, his return will lead to Rocket finally reckoning with his past and encountering someone he left behind.But even with that, other plotlines from the previous films – or stinger scenes – will also reach their conclusion. Despite dying in Avengers: Infinity War, Gamora (Zoe Saldana) still roams the galaxy thanks to time travel shenanigans in Avengers: Endgame producing a second Gamora who never lived the events of the first Guardians or Vol. 2. For Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), it means a second chance at a life with her, even if we doubt Gamora feels the same way. In fact, it is possible this version of her will be able to resist Star-Lord’s pelvic sorcery.
Meanwhile, the egg featured in one of Vol. 2‘s stinger scenes will hatch, producing Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), a character who nearly debuted in both Vol. 2 and Infinity War. His mission in Vol. 3 may simply be revenge on behalf of the Sovereign people Peter wronged at the beginning of Vol. 2, but if this Adam is anything like his comics counterpart, he will absolutely have an agenda of his own.
And despite all of this looking like another Guardians adventure on paper, the trailers released for the film so far have a funereal quality to them – from Peter begging the others for one last ride to Drax (Dave Bautista) saying it’s been an honor to work beside his friends. Even if the film doesn’t end with the death of multiple Guardians, it is possible the conclusion will come down to the characters realizing the time has come to move on.While a Guardians adventure can span the breadth of Nova Corps Space and the Kree Empire, we have a pretty good guess where the story will begin: Knowhere. As stated in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, the Collector (Benicio del Toro) sold the inhabited skull of a dead Celestial to the Guardians following the events of Endgame. The special also established the team is trying to make it more of a home for displaced people than the ore mine/den of iniquity glimpsed in the first film.
Other locations glimpsed in the trailers include the High Evolutionary’s research facility – whether it is a spaceship or a building on an unidentified world remains to be seen – a world comparable to modern day Earth that may be where the High Evolutionary deposits his New Men, a new prison world (although it could be another part of the High Evolutionary’s lab), and the remains of another Celestial. Also, Earth is never completely off the table – particularly after Drax and Mantis’s (Pom Klementieff) meeting with Kevin Bacon (as himself) in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
It’s time to face the music….one last time as Marvel Studios releases the official trailer for the upcoming Marvel superhero sequel film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. View trailer below.
Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own from a new devastating enemy. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.
Wow…really cool! As many readers know, I am a big fan of the MCU movies, especially the ones with the Guardians of the Galaxy (or any type of superhero team-up movie that they are featured in). I loved the GoTG films and tales (both in the comic books and in the movies), especially since the narrative usually invoke a sense of classic sci-fi action of storytelling. The movies in general showcase the notion as well as speaking to the MCU formula, with plenty of laughs and heart along the way. This new trailer for the upcoming projects looks great and showcases the same type of energy and camaraderie from the previous installments yet teases the somber tone of everything coming to an end, with director James Gunn promising an “end of an era” with the conclusion of Vol.3. I am curious to know how the movie will end and how it will set-up future events for either possible spin-offs or even a new Guardians team. It’s hard to say, but one that I am curious. In the end, I’m super excited to see where this third outing will take our favorite “band of space misfits” on and who will be left standing in the end. Only time will tell….
Everything We Know About Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
Guardians of the Galaxy was a massive test. Not just for the MCU, but for its director, James Gunn. All Marvel Studios films previous to Guardians had featured a major member of the Avengers, or the Avengers name itself. While they weren't Spider-Man or Batman, Captain America and Iron Man at least lived in the cultural consciousness. The Guardians of the Galaxy did not. James Gunn, meanwhile, had directed a small handful of gory movies, including the dark superhero comedy, Super.
Killer casting, a soundtrack filled with unequaled needledrops, and MCU-grade visual effects skyrocketed the Guardians and Gunn from unknown to household names almost literally overnight, making stars of both of them. These days, Gunn is taking the reins over at the DC Studios arm of Warner Bros. Discovery, and the Guardians have a brand-new (James Gunn-directed) holiday special. Gunn directed a film and a television series for DC, and the Guardians of the Galaxy characters have appeared in multiple Avengers films and the latest Thor movie, Thor: Love & Thunder and even have their own holiday special.
Now, though, it's time for both Gunn and the current Guardians lineup to close out their time with Marvel together, at least for now. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is nearly here after a very long wait--thanks in part to some ill-advised employment decisions by Disney--and is hitting theaters in 2023 to pick up where that golden cliffhanger at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 left us nearly six years ago.
Who's the director?
James Gunn, who directed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, as well as the holiday special and two different Guardians-centric theme park rides, is directing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. While this was assumed to be the case after the success of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, that changed in 2018 when Disney fired Gunn over some old tweets for which he'd already apologized. For a time, the film was moving forward with another director at the helm, but using Gunn's script. The cast came out in support of him, but things were looking bleak for a while, right up until Disney re-hired him. But that wasn't before Warner Bros. offered him him the chance to direct a DC Comics movie, which ended up being The Suicide Squad. That subsequently spawned a well-received ten-episode series about John Cena's character, Peacemaker, which has been renewed for a second season. Disney and Gunn pushed that date out yet further with the aforementioned Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which has Drax and Mantis looking for the ultimate Christmas gift for Peter Quill. Gunn not only directed every one of the above Marvel and DC projects, he wrote all of them as well, though sometimes with a co-writer.
Which cast members are returning?
The whole core cast of the Guardians films is returning. That includes Chris Pratt as Star-Lord/Peter Quill, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, and Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel as the voices of Rocket the Racoon and Groot. Other returning members include James' brother Sean Gunn as Kraglin, Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha, and Sylvester Stallone as Stakar Ogord.
Which cast members are new?
Most prominent among new cast members is Will Poulter as Adam Warlock. Poulter is previously best known for his roles in The Maze Runner and We're The Millers. Actors from previous Gunn projects will show up as well. Daniela Melchior (The Suicide Squad) and Chukwudi Iwuji (Peacemaker) have joined the cast, as has Maria Bakalova, who debuted as the voice of Cosmo the Spacedog, a psychic dog from the Russian space program, in the Holiday Special.
What do we know about the story?
Details on the plot are light, but the Guardians have been trying to make Knowhere, a prominent location from the first two films, into a safe haven for victims of the Snap (or Blip, if you're writing a Marvel script). Now, they find their home and the universe threatened by a new enemy. Adam Warlock was teased at the end of Guardians Vol. 2. In Marvel comics, he's a heroic character and a supposedly perfect being created by Earth scientists who rebels against his creators. He is sought out by a being called the High Evolutionary, who asks him to save a planet called Counter-Earth.
Warlock figures heavily into the Infinity War saga in the comics, as one of the very few beings that can safely wield the Infinity Gauntlet. After his tease in Guardians Vol. 2, it was assumed by many fans that he would figure into the Infinity Saga finale as well, though that never came to be. The Infinity gems are out of the picture, but Warlock has lots of other stories to tell. The 2021 Guardians of the Galaxy video game pitted the Guardians against the Universal Church of Truth, led in the comics by a corrupted version of Warlock. Additionally, new cast member Chukwudi Iwuji is playing the aforementioned High Evolutionary, who also figures into Rocket Raccoon's origin story. Additionally, the planet the Guardians land on in the movie's first full trailer appears to be the Counter-Earth from the comics, an Earth-like planet populated by humanoid animals.
Will there be more movies?
James Gunn has explicitly said that this film will be his last Guardians of the Galaxy movie, and cast members like Zoe Saldana have expressed frustration at spending so much time in franchise roles (she's currently starring in Avatar: The Way of Water). The Guardians, however, are a canonically malleable team, meaning that if Marvel Studios wanted to introduce a new Guardians of the Galaxy team, they could--but that seems unlikely.
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