Guardians 4? James Gunn Clarifies How Many Marvel Movies He’s Doing

Drax, Peter, and Gamora in Guardians 2

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a massive place, but certain properties have managed to stand out among the rest. Chief among them is James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and fans can’t wait to catch back up with the motley crew of heroes. Gunn will be working on a variety of Guardians content moving forward, but could that include a fourth movie? Here’s what the visionary filmmaker said about that possibility.

Most MCU franchises function as trilogies, but Thor: Love and Thunder will make history as the first time a hero has been given a fourth movie. Taika Waititi's return to Thor will also feature the Guardians in a limited role, so could James Gunn follow suit with Guardians 4? Gunn recently spoke to his plans for the franchise, saying:

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Well, that was pretty cut and dry. It looks like James Gun was always planning on ending his Guardians run with the upcoming Vol. 3. But while we might be saying goodbye to the cosmic heroes, at least Gunn is working on additional content featuring the team on Disney+.

James Gunn got honest about his plans for the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise over on his personal Twitter. Gunn is known for being super active on social media, using outlets like Twitter and Instagram to field questions directly from the fans. That includes shutting down rumors, while also clarifying his plans (or lack thereof) for Guardians 4.

The Guardians’ time in the MCU so far is available on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

It seems that the Guardians won’t follow in Thor’s steps and get a fourth movie. At least, not with James Gunn attached as director. Drax actor Dave Bautista also recently spoke about ending his run after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3., which also marks the end of his contract. As such, a fourth flick with the same cast/crew seems more and more unlikely.

Luckily for those of us who love the Guardians of the Galaxy, James Gunn will be working on a few projects other than Vol. 3. He’ll be uniting with the cast for the Guardians Holiday Special, as well as a series of animated shorts starring Baby Groot. But after those series of projects, I wouldn’t be surprised if Gunn pivoted back to the DC side of things.

Narratively, it seems like James Gunn could take the story a number of ways for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The most obvious is the search for 2014 Gamora, who left the battlefield of Avengers: Endgame to unknown destinations. Fans are also hoping to see Rocket get a love interest, as well as for his relationship with Nebula to be further explored. After all, they spent five years fighting cosmic bad guys together.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is currently expected to arrive in theaters on May 5th, 2023. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.