Guardians of Galaxy 3 Script May Have Been Changed By MCU Slate Delays

It has been reported that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 has needed a script change over the course of this year's ongoing COVID pandemic. The third film in the hit Marvel franchise was originally announced in 2017 shortly before the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, until production delays and personnel changes hit the film. The continuing adventures of Star-Lord and his crew is now expected to be released in 2023, with principal photography beginning next year.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was box office success, garnering acclaim from both fans and critics while pulling in over $863 million at the box office. It saw the MCU characters that had proven so lovable in the original Guardians of the Galaxy film mature and develop, as well as new fan favorite characters like Baby Groot and Mantis appear. They were last seen on the big screen in Avengers: Endgame, fighting with The Avengers against super villain Thanos. Star-Lord is next set to appear in both Guardians of the Galaxy 3 and the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder. However, in the years since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, a number of delays have resulted in the sequel's story having to change.

Via EW, Dave Bautista sat down to discuss Guardians of the Galaxy's cinematic future. The actor behind original cinematic crew mate Drax The Destroyer not only confirmed the production start date on Guardians of the Galaxy 3, but discussed needed script changes. He noted;

"I saw a script early on when we were all on schedule and James Gunn was attached before everything went nutso. I believe because [Marvel's] whole calendar has changed [due to the pandemic shutdown and Guardians' production delays], that storylines have changed, and they won't intersect like originally planned. Obviously, we lost Chadwick [Boseman], so I don't know where that leaves Black Panther. I haven't seen a new script, is the short answer."

James Gunn, the writer and director of both the previous Guardians of the Galaxy films, temporarily parted ways with Disney and Marvel after controversial tweets of his came to light. In the interim, Gunn went on to direct The Suicide Squad for DC, a production that has also contributed to the delay of Guardians of the Galaxy 3.

Marvel and Disney are wasting no time in continuing the MCU. Their intriguing film crossovers throughout the MCU franchises have been a large part of that success, which began in 2012 with The Avengers. While it's exciting to think of how Star-Lord will fit into Thor: Love and Thunder, what's more intriguing is the possibilities laid out by Bautista's above statement. It raises questions concerning what sort of intersecting was planned and if Black Panther was intended to cross paths with the Guardians. A lot is understandably left up in the air, as Marvel's release date changes would no doubt effect the way their stories were intended to play out, causing a ripple effect that necessities a change in Guardians of the Galaxy 3 to keep order in the cinematic jigsaw puzzle. Despite being the biggest studio in the film industry right now, it seems that even a global pandemic can have a major affect Disney.

It is worth keeping in mind Gunn himself said back in November the current Guardians of the Galaxy 3 script changed very little from before he was initially fired from the project. And since Bautista claims to have not seen the most recent screenplay, it's difficult to say exactly how the Guardians of the Galaxy 3 story was altered, if at all. Some changes are probably to be expected, given the film's been in development for a few years and the pandemic forced Marvel to shift their movies around. However, based on Gunn's comments, it sounds like the Guardians of the Galaxy 3 plot won't be too different from what was originally intended. Whatever the upcoming film holds, it's sure to be a thrilling ride.

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Source: EW