This is what James Gunn had to say about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in the wake of Disney delaying a huge chunk of the MCU’s Phase 4 release slate. Many were expecting the third Guardians of the Galaxy film to come later than its intended May 5, 2023 premiere. After all, you’d be forgiven for mistaking James Gunn’s film as being included in the 5 MCU movies that Disney shuffled. Having said that, the film’s director was quick to reassure fans that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is not going to be delayed.
Guardians of the Galaxy is safe from Marvel Studios’ Phase 4 messy release strategy
Disney just made the shocking decision to shake up the release of its upcoming films for 2022 and 2023. First up is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which will now launch on May 6, 2022, from March 2022. Next is Thor: Love and Thunder, which will take up Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s spot on July 8, 2022. Meanwhile, the Black Panther sequel will release on November 11, 2022, instead. Marvels will follow next with its February 17, 2023 release date, with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which is rumored to feature Bill Murray, now coming on July 28, 2023. Interestingly, Marvel Studios has decided to pull two untitled Marvel movies scheduled for 2023 entirely from the calendar. Meanwhile, a third one was rescheduled to November 3, 2023. The two untitled MCU movies would have premiered on July 28 and October 6, but now it appears that they’ve been shelved indefinitely. In addition to the MCU films, Disney also adjusted the release dates of other upcoming movies, including an untitled live-action film, a 20th Century picture, and Indiana Jones 5.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) October 18, 2021 The good news here is that one MCU movie walked out unscathed from Disney’s schedule shuffle. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will debut in May 2023 as intended. It’s not clear why Disney did not delay James Gunn’s next (and possibly last) MCU film. Naturally, fans have their ideas. Many believe that this is because of the film’s self-contained story. Meanwhile, others speculate that this is because the movie is already going to start production. Keep in mind that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was supposed to come in 2020. The only reason it was delayed was Disney’s baffling decision to fire writer/director James Gunn. As a result, the third Guardians of the Galaxy film lost a year in development. In the meantime, Gunn went over to the other side to work on The Suicide Squad, as well as Peacemaker. With six years passing between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and its sequel in 2023, it makes sense that Marvel and Disney did not want to make fans wait any longer. Speaking of making fans wait, audiences are excited to see James Gunn’s return in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Earlier this year, the fan-favorite writer/director teased a lot of deaths in the upcoming MCU film. Fans are also just dying to see how Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock will fit into the story after being teased in the post-credits scene of Guardians of the Galaxy 2. If it’s any consolation, fans of the ragtag bunch of intergalactic defenders led by Peter Quill can look forward to Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special in late 2022. There is also Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, a video game featuring the same squad that was inspired by the MCU’s crew.
