Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the last appearance of this team of Guardians, the film’s director, James Gunn, said Friday.
“The movie is incredibly big, it’s so so so big and dark and different than what people might be expecting it to be,” Gunn said. “This is the end for us, this is the last time people will see this team of Guardians.”
The current Guardians include Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Groot, Drax, Mantis, Nebula and now Thor.
Speaking on Deadline’s Hero Nation podcast Friday, Gunn said that it’s been hard to film the movie while “dodging omicron,” but that they have a fully vaccinated cast and crew.
“I just want to be true to the characters and true to the story and I want to give people the wrap up they deserve for the story,” Gunn added.
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The Guardians team has previously appeared in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame as well as in the original Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Prior to the third movie’s release, the team is set to appear in Thor 4: Love and Thunder after we last saw Thor taking off with the Guardians at the end of Endgame.
There will also be a Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special at the end of 2022, which will be set between Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Thor: Love and Thunder is being directed by Taika Waititi, who also directed Thor: Ragnarok. It’ll have two Thors, played by Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman. The release date is set for July 8, 2022, while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be released on May 5, 2023.