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‘Guardians Of The Galaxy 3’ the last to feature current team, says James Gunn

The third entry will also be "so, so big and dark, and different from what people might be expecting it to be"

By Patrick Clarke

Guardians Of The Galaxy
Guardians Of The Galaxy (Photo: Marvel Studios)

Guardians Of The Galaxy writer and director James Gunn has said that the forthcoming third entry in the franchise will be the last to feature the current set of protagonists.

Speaking to The Deadline Podcast, Gunn was asked about the future of the series. “This is the end for us,” he set out, saying that Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 will be “the last time people will see this team of Guardians”.

Indicating that the upcoming film will signal a shift in tone, he said: “It’s big. It’s so, so big and dark, and different from what people might be expecting it to be.

“I just want to be true to the characters, the story and give people the wrap-up that they deserve for the story. That’s always a little bit scary, [but] I’m doing my best.” He added: “I’m aware that the third film in most trilogies sucks – not always.”

The new Guardians film is currently slated for release on May 5, 2023, as part of Marvel Cinematic Universe’s so-called ‘Phase Four’.

Guardians Of The Galaxy (Photo: Marvel Studios)

Having helmed the first two entries in 2014 and 2017, Gunn was controversially fired from the third entry in 2018, after Tweets emerged that showed the director making jokes about subjects including rape and paedophilia. He was officially re-hired in March 2019.

In other Marvel news, earlier this month Andrew Garfield revealed that he’s definitely interested in reprising his role as Spider-Man again, following his surprise appearance in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’.

The latest entry in the MCU’s ‘Spider-Man’ series used a storyline based around the multiverse to unite Garfield’s iteration of the superhero – which he played in 2012 reboot ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ and its 2014 sequel – with Tom Holland’s current MCU version. It also featured Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man from Sam Raimi’s trilogy (2002-2007).