James Gunn Says Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Is Likely His Last MCU Film

Writer/director James Gunn says Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will likely be his final film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. First launching in 2014, the space-set superhero franchise stars Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, and Karen Gillan as the titular team. The films have been celebrated as some of the better MCU outings for their unique brands of humor and music as well as the performances of its cast, the action, and Gunn's direction.

The Guardians franchise helped launch Gunn into stardom as a writer and director in the blockbuster filmmaking field. Previously, he had directed the cult-favorite sci-fi horror/comedy Slither and black comedy Super and wrote Warner Bros.' live-action Scooby-Doo films and Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead remake. Despite his swift rise, Gunn had a brief setback after controversial old tweets were resurfaced following Gunn's public criticisms of Donald Trump, and Disney dismissed him from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. After WB swiftly scooped him up for the DC Extended Universe's The Suicide Squad and Disney faced criticism from other entertainers, journalists, and fans, Disney reversed its decision and rehired Gunn for the threequel. However, it appears this speed bump may have big ramifications for the studio's relationship with him.

Gunn caught up with The New York Times to discuss the impending arrival of The Suicide Squad and his transition to the DCEU from the MCU. In reflecting on the possibility of a future with the latter franchise after the soon-to-shoot Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the writer/director revealed there likely isn't one for him, but didn't entirely shut the door. See what Gunn had to say below:

"I have no clue what I’m going to do. For me, Guardians 3 is probably the last one. I don’t know about doing it again. I do find, because of the ability to do different stuff in the DC multiverse, it’s fun. They’re starting to really resemble their comic books. The Marvel Universe has always been a little more cohesive, and DC has always had more great single runs. They had The Dark Knight Returns. They had Watchmen. They had The Killing Joke. They had Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing. The fact that they did Joker, which is a totally different type of movie, that to me is cool. I’m very excited about Matt’s movie [The Batman, from Matt Reeves]. They’re getting some really good filmmakers involved."

James Gunn Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Set Photo

While Gunn hasn't been mum about the journey of moving from the MCU to the DCEU, his recent comments are some of his most vulnerable and honest regarding the situation. The writer/director also recently opened up about the heartbreaking phone call he received from Kevin Feige about his Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 firing and the toll it took on him is very understandable. As excited as he is to come back to conclude his MCU trilogy, the initial dismissal from the threequel seems to have put the relationship between Gunn and Marvel on rocky ground.

Given there were rumors that Gunn was talking with Marvel about becoming the creative lead of the future of the MCU after Avengers: Endgame, the likelihood of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 being his final outing with the studio will come as a disappointment to many. But with two projects already under his belt at the DCEU (Gunn has also developed a TV series based on John Cena's The Suicide Squad character, Peacemaker) and his outlook appearing optimistic for his future with the WB franchise, fans can at least look forward to his unique mind continuing in the comic book genre. As production is slated to begin on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in November, Gunn could always change his mind and open the door for more MCU films in the future.

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Source: NY Times