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It's hard to believe that James Gunn's (The Suicide Squad) third and final Guardians of the Galaxy film almost wasn't going to happen. While Marvel certainly was going to keep the characters around for many films to come, Gunn's vision for a trilogy was put in jeopardy when he was fired for a controversy revolving around some controversial jokes made on Twitter. The ten-year-old tweets were problematic and inappropriate for sure, but they weren't necessarily malicious, and it didn't take long for both Guardians fans and even the cast and crew themselves to show support for Gunn and lobby for his return to finish what he started. Thankfully they succeeded in their goal, and James Gunn was brought back aboard to make Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.The galaxy's favorite band of misfits has been through quite a bit since we last saw them. Since the original 2014 film, the gang has fought a living planet, had most of the team turn to dust after Thanos' (Josh Brolin) Snap before being brought back to fight the Mad Titan's forces, and even embarked on a few adventures with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) himself. Their almost ten-year-long journey has turned the unique group of characters from virtual unknowns into beloved fan favorites and a crown jewel of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.Marvel fans have been eagerly awaiting the return of the Guardians in their own feature film, and thankfully the wait won't be too much longer. Right after Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) kicks off Phase 5, the final chapter in the Guardians franchise will be prepped and ready, and we finally got a public look at the new film with a brand-new trailer. In addition, we also got a deeper glimpse at the film at Marvel's marvelous San Diego Comic-Con 2022 panel, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, James Gunn, and the rest of the cast revealed some crucial details and even an exclusive first look at the anticipated new film. The impressive presentation answered quite a few questions we've all had, including the release date, the characters we'll get to see, and the tone that we can expect. To find out all these details plus many more, simply read below to find out everything we know so far about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.Editor's Note: This article was last updated on April 23, 2023.
Watch the Trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
In the first of what is bound to be many looks at the highly anticipated trilogy capper, we see the Guardians back together, each wearing uniforms that look like they were ripped straight out of the comics. They're a little rusty since most of them have been gone for five years after Thanos (Josh Brolin) snapped them out of existence, as evident by being treated as hostiles by the alien residents of an Earth-like suburban neighborhood. We also see that the team's music tastes have matured a bit, as the song playing over the trailer is from the '90s with "In the Meantime" by Spacehog. We still see that the team is aggressively hysterical, but also that this will be an emotional journey, with the key focus being placed on the origins of Rockey (Bradley Cooper), his history with the new villain the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), and the reveal that Rocket's longtime otter love from the comics, Lylla, will be in the film. We also get a very brief glimpse at the classic comic character Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), but his role in the plot is still a total mystery.
Our initial look at the film came behind closed doors at the most recent San Diego Comic-Con, which showed off a very different batch of footage to Hall H. That teaser opens up with Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), AKA Star-Lord, and Nebula (Karen Gillan) having an encounter with a group of Ravagers, where Quill is shocked to discover that his beloved Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) is leading the group of space pirates. However, this is not the girlfriend that Quill knows, as the Gamora from his timeline was killed by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. The Gamora in Vol. 3 is from an alternate timeline where she had yet to meet Quill and was brought to the main MCU universe by her universe's Thanos. While Thanos and the rest of his forces were snapped out of existence, Gamora was the sole survivor, disappearing to go and find her place in this strange new dimension. The trailer continues with Quill trying to convince a reluctant Gamora of the life they used to have pre-Infinity War.
Shortly after, in true Guardians of the Galaxy fashion, a catchy tune accompanies the trailer, but it's something a bit more modern than the 70s/80s fare that we've heard in the previous films. The song in question is "Do You Realize", performed by The Flaming Lips and released somewhat recently in 2002. Gunn explained the music choice by saying it was meant to represent that the team has "matured" so we may be hearing more contemporary tracks when the film releases. Peter and Gamora of course aren't the only ones who get some time in the trailer, as there are some new faces who make brief appearances. We got our first good look at Sovereign creation Adam Warlock, the horrifying new villain that is the High Evolutionary, and an even more grown-up and extremely buff version of Groot (Vin Diesel), whom we got a glimpse of in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022).
A second trailer was released during Super Bowl LVII. Set to Rainbow's "Since You Been Gone," which is more in spirit with the soundtracks for the first two movies, the new trailer dives a bit more into the new dynamic between Peter Quill and Gamora as well as between Quill and Nebula. The trailer also gives a bit more footage of Adam Warlock, including a fight against Drax and the character flying through a battle zone, and the trailer gives us even more details about the film's villain, The High Evolutionary, and his connection to Rocket's tragic past. Much like the first trailer and the Comic-Con footage, everything being shown seems to confirm that this will indeed be an emotional finale for our favorite intergalactic band of misfits.
What is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 About?
Marvel has been tight-lipped about the plot of Guardians 3, but James Gunn has given us some hints here and there. The director mentions that self-acceptance is a major theme, saying:
In the first one Peter Quill is coming to terms with his relationship with his mother, which is the person he loved the most in the world. In Vol 2, he’s coming to terms with his relationship with his father. The one he thought he wanted wasn’t the one he wanted, and the one he had was better than what he thought it was. The third one is about getting to accept yourself. Who are we really? And how are we okay?You know, Mantis even says it one time in the movie; most of them don’t like themselves very much. They all have issues with themselves. Nebula has issues with herself. Peter Quill has issues with himself. Mantis, Kraglin, they all do. And Rocket, most of all. So I think that’s what this movie is about, above and beyond anything else.
When Is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Releasing in Theaters?
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be dancing its way into cinemas next year for the Summer blockbuster season, more specifically on Friday, May 5, 2023. This will make the third Guardians installment the second film in the MCU's busy Phase 5 schedule; the halfway point of the Multiverse Saga.
When and Where Will Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 be Streaming?
Vol. 3 will almost certainly be streaming on Disney+ after it premieres in theaters. If the pattern of Marvel's Disney+ releases continues, we can realistically expect to see the film on the streaming platform roughly a month and a half after May 5, 2023.
Who Is Making Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
The next few years are practically guaranteed to be the biggest years thus far in James Gunn's comic book movie career. Not only has Gunn been busy with projects from Marvel's biggest rival, DC, working on hits like The Suicide Squad (2021) and its spin-off series Peacemaker (which has already been greenlit for a second season), Gunn has now been named co-head of DC Comics' entire film and television division, virtually giving Gunn full creative control over the cinematic future for the home of Batman, Superman, and more. Gunn seemingly had always planned for the third Guardians of the Galaxy film to be his swan song, providing even more evidence that this will serve as his emotionally fulfilling farewell to the MCU.
Kevin Feige of course will be overseeing production as executive producer and Gunn will be joined by many of his former cohorts to fill out the department head roles. Rejoining Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) are cinematographer Henry Braham and editor Fred Raskin, while he'll also be teaming up with his The Suicide Squad peers, composer John Murphy, and production designer Beth Mickle.
Who's In the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Cast?
Fans can expect to see all the original team members return along with their corresponding cast members. These include Chris Pratt (Jurassic World: Dominion) as Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana (Avatar: The Way of Water) as Gamora, Dave Bautista (The Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) as Drax, Bradley Cooper (Nightmare Alley) as Rocket, Vin Diesel (F9: The Fast Saga) as Groot, Karen Gillan (The Bubble) as Nebula, Pom Klementieff (Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning - Part 1) as Mantis, and Sean Gunn (The Suicide Squad) as Kraglin. They won't be the only returning cast members returning either, as Vol. 2 alums will feature Sylvester Stallone (Tulsa King) as the Ravager leader Stakar and Elizabeth Debicki (The Crown) as the vengeful Sovereign queen Ayesha. We also may see some members of Stakar's old-school Guardians team show up after their end credits scene in Vol. 2, which last time consisted of Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Aleta Ogord, Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville) as Martinex, Ving Rhames (Wendell & Wild) as Charlie-27, Miley Cyrus (Black Mirror) as Mainframe, and a silent alien sorcerer named Krugarr.
We already mentioned that Will Poulter (Midsommar) will be bringing fan-favorite comic guardian Adam Warlock and Peacemaker star Chukwudi Iwuji will be the main source of villainous charm as the High Evolutionary. The film will also feature a character we've seen before, but haven't heard until now. That character is Cosmo the Space Dog, who had a brief cameo in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film and will be voiced in the third film by the breakout star of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020), Maria Bakalova. Finally, another James Gunn veteran will be joining the cast with The Suicide Squad's own Ratcatcher 2, Daniela Melchior, playing a yet-to-be-named character in the constantly expanding Marvel universe, but since it hasn't been announced who will be playing Lady Lylla the Otter yet, that seems like a likely candidate for her mystery role.
A new look at Poulter as Adam Warlock was released by Empire Magazine on January 16 with Gunn noting that the golden-skinned character is complicated in his morals and goals saying:
“But he’s definitely not a good guy. What we’re seeing is the infant form of Warlock, newly out of the cocoon, and he does not understand life very well. He’s basically a baby.”
More Guardians of the Galaxy Content to Watch on Disney+
If you want to get caught up on the story of the Guardians of the Galaxy before their epic finale, Disney+ has everything you could possibly need. Both the first and second films are available to stream on the Mouse House's streaming service, as well as Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. The team also has a brief appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder, which also recently made it's way onto Disney+
As far as original content available on the streamer, there's currently I Am Groot, a collection of shorts centering around most people's favorite incarnation of the repetitive tree alien, which of course is the baby version. It's certainly nice to see the bite-sized form of Groot return in a bite-sized miniseries, but there's another project that's snuck its way under the Christmas tree this year. James Gunn directed and wrote The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which despite sounding like a goofy and novelty concept, is actually essential viewing to the Guardians' story according to Gunn. That gift from Marvel Studios arrived on Disney+ this past November and is a gloriously jolly treat from Marvel.
Will Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Be the Last Guardians Film?
Since its announcement, James Gunn has created a sense of finality around the third film. Not only will this be his last film, but he's also repeatedly stated that this will be the last time that we will see "this iteration" of the Guardians team. Dave Bautista has also publicly stated that this will be his last film playing Drax the Destroyer.
Now, this could mean a lot of things. It could mean that many key members of the team could get killed off, it could mean that they'll decide to quietly retire, or it could mean that a new team will be built from the ground up. Whatever the case may be, this seems to be a definitive conclusion to the story arc carried across the first two films and the two Avengers films that they were a part of. If the trailer is any indication, this won't just be a fun comedic romp like the others but will be a cathartic and emotional resolution to one of Marvel's biggest success stories.
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