James Gunn consults with NASA scientists on every Guardians of the Galaxy movie. This week, much of the conversation surrounding Gunn will be about his first DC movie, The Suicide Squad. At the same time, many of his fans will be looking to the future, when he'll step behind the camera for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. With it, Gunn will become one of the few Marvel directors to helm the entire trilogy they began. He brought the team of outcasts together in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy, and he'll get to oversee what just might be their final MCU outing.

Little is known about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 at this point. Filming will begin later this year, and the movie itself will arrive in May 2023. Much of the original cast is expected to return, including Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, and Zoe Saldana. While the story remains a mystery, those involved with the project have said Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 made them cry, meaning audiences should perhaps go into the theater with some tissues handy.

Related: Marvel Theory: Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Will Kill Off Rocket

Gunn recently hopped on social media to answer some fan questions about his various projects, and he shared an interesting tidbit about his behind the scenes process for the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. When asked if he's ever consulted experts for his films, Gunn revealed he's always spoken to NASA scientists before making each Guardians. "They're science fantasy more than science fiction but I still like them grounded as much as possible in real science," he explained.

James Gunn Guardians of the Galaxy NASA scientists

NASA experts have often consulted on movies, with a recent example being F9. In that case, director Justin Lin wished to know how realistic the movie's space car was. Of course, the Fast & Furious franchise is already partially grounded in the real world, unlike Guardians of the Galaxy. Gunn's dedication to keeping things as realistic as they can be is admirable, though one has to wonder just what NASA's scientists had comments on. Did they provide ideas for Star-Lord's gadgets, or his ship? Or did they offer notes on potential other worlds within the galaxy?

This seems to speak to a greater part of Gunn's filmmaking approach. While he's working with strange characters and fantastical worlds, he always treats them with respect. Whether it's humanizing someone named Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad or making audiences emotional over a racoon in Guardians of the Galaxy, Gunn never sees these elements as being silly or lesser-than. It's no wonder his sci-fi movies are so well-received by fans, and it makes Vol. 3 even more exciting than it was before.

More: Guardians of the Galaxy: Every Marvel Easter Egg In The Collector's Museum

Source: James Gunn/Instagram

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