Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 is still a long way away, but writer/director James Gunn says he hopes to wrap up the stories seeded at the beginning of the trilogy. Gunn's currently shooting The Suicide Squad for Warner Bros - a sequel to the similarly titled 2016 film, Suicide Squad, directed by David Ayer - which puts the timeline of Guardians of the Galaxy 3 in question. Marvel Studios, who produces Guardians of the Galaxy, is notoriously tight-lipped about their movies, anxious to avoid spoilers, so not a lot is known about Gunn's plans for the sequel.

The last audiences saw of the Guardians - at the end of Avengers: Endgame - they were headed back to space to search for a Gamora (Zoe Saldana) from another timeline. It's assumed that Saldana will return to tie up that storyline, along with Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, Dave Bautista's Drax, Karen Gillian's Nebula, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, and Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot. It's also likely Pom Clementiff will return as Mantis, and they might even be joined by Chris Hemsworth's Thor, last seen hitching a ride with the team near the end of Avengers: Endgame.

Related: What Thor 4 Could Mean For Chris Hemsworth's Role In Guardians Of The Galaxy 3

Gunn took some downtime from filming The Suicide Squad to answer some fan questions on Instagram. The director has always been as transparent as he can be when it comes to talking about the next installment in the Marvel Studios franchise, and this time is no exception. Replying to a question that asks if he's planning more storylines for the Guardians after the third film, Gunn says, "If everything goes to plan it will wrap up the stories I started in Guardians 1."

James Gunn Instagram Guardians of the Galaxy 3

There are still many questions to be answered in Guardians of the Galaxy 3, such as the introduction of Adam Warlock, a cosmic-powered being, teased in a post-credits scene at the end of Vol. 2. We also know Gamora's fate will be a major plot point, Gunn's admitted he knew about the Endgame twist long before he started scripting the trilogy's final installment. But fans are just as eager to see the film explore the origins of Rocket's tortured creation, or follow up on the decimation of Xandar, home of the Nova Corps, as teased in the opening minutes of Avengers: Infinity War.

Thanks to a previous confirmation by Gunn, fans now know Thor: Love and Thunder, another standalone outing for the God of Thunder, will be released before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. That could indicate a cameo for the team at the beginning of Thor's solo adventure, assuming he's still on their ship when the film begins. However, it also might signify that the thunder god will be absent from the Guardians' lives by the time they return to the big screen. In the meantime, fans will have to count on Gunn for updates on production as they occur.

More: James Gunn Is Excited To Finish Rocket's Arc In Guardians of the Galaxy 3

Source: James Gunn via Instagram

Key Release Dates