Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is a 2023 American superhero film. It is the third and final movie in the Guardians of the Galaxy series.
Let’s find out more about the movie!
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017) director Taika Waititi was widely rumored to take over directing from James Gunn after the latter was temporarily fired from the project. However, Waititi made it clear that this option was never on the table for him, claiming that “those are James’ films. [That] would be like going into someone’s house and saying ‘Hey, I’m your new dad, and this is how we make peanut butter sandwiches now.’ It feels kind of awkward.”
- After James Gunn was fired as director, actor Dave Bautista (Drax) became one of Gunn’s most vocal supporters, tweeting that “James Gunn is one of the most loving, caring, good natured people I have ever met. He’s gentle and kind and cares deeply for people and animals. He’s made mistakes. We all have. Im NOT ok with what’s happening to him.”
- Bautista even stated that he would demand to be released from his contract if the studio did not use the screenplay Gunn had originally written for this film. Gunn was later re-hired.
- The character Adam Warlock was going to appear in the previous film, but was cut out since James Gunn felt it had too many characters. He is confirmed to appear in this film.
- After being fired over controversial quotes from the past, in March 2019, James Gunn was reinstated by Disney as director of the film after meeting with president Alan F. Horn on multiple occasions. Horn came to this decision based on Gunn’s public apology and his handling of the situation afterwards.
- Gunn had never fought his firing, and stated that “my words of nearly a decade ago were, at the time, totally failed and unfortunate efforts to be provocative. I have regretted them for many years since, [..] also because they don’t reflect the person I am today or have been for some time.” Gunn did not start production on this film until his work on The Suicide Squad (2021) was completed.
- Announced a month before the release of Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (2017).
- Released exactly six years after Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (2017), this marks the longest gap between an MCU film and its sequel, surpassing the record set by Doctor Strange (2016) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), released five years and six months apart.
- The third trilogy in the MCU to have the same director for all three films following the Spider-Man films (2017-2021) directed by Jon Watts and the Ant-Man and the Wasp films (2015-2023) directed by Peyton Reed.
- James Gunn announced that John Murphy will be the music composer for the movie and this will be the first time that it won’t feature Tyler Bates who composed both Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (2017).
- This film marks the longest gap between the first film and third film in an MCU trilogy, 8 years & 10 months, as Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) was released on August 1st, 2014.
- his will be the first MCU movie to have an uncensored use of the F-bomb
- The 32nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- Before Will Poulter was cast as Adam Warlock, George MacKay and Regé-Jean Page were considered for the role.
- Will be released on the sixth anniversary as its predecessor, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- A fan asked writer/director James Gunn on Twitter if there was actually a change in Drax’s look as to them it looked like Drax actually had a slight green tint to him, but Gunn confirmed that Drax has always been gray in the MCU, and gave three very specific reasons for the decision, saying: “Drax has always been gray. Three reasons: 1) The MCU has more than enough green people. 2) With makeup, there is no color more difficult to make look like skin than green. 3) Drax may love Christmas, but he isn’t Christmas.”
- Principal photography began on November 8, 2021, at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, under the working title Hot Christmas.
- Henry Braham serves as cinematographer, after doing so for Vol. 2 and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
- Filming was previously scheduled to begin in January or February 2019 prior to Gunn’s firing, and then in February 2021, before Gunn began work on Peacemaker.
- With the start of filming, Sylvester Stallone revealed that he would return as Stakar Ogord from Vol. 2, and Gunn posted a photo of the main cast members which revealed that Chukwudi Iwuji was part of the film following his collaboration with Gunn on Peacemaker.
- Iwuji’s screen test for the film was shot on the set of Peacemaker with that series’ crew, and Marvel repaid this favor by letting Gunn use the Vol. 3 set and crew to film Ezra Miller’s cameo appearance as Barry Allen / The Flash for the Peacemaker season finale.
- Production designer Beth Mickle said Gunn chose to mainly use practical effects for Vol. 3 after they did so with their work on The Suicide Squad.
- In February 2021, Gunn stated the film would be shot using Industrial Light & Magic’s StageCraft virtual production technology that was developed for the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian, but in October, he said they would not be able to use the technology because the sets were too big, believing they were larger than the sets used on The Suicide Squad.
- The interior of the Guardians’ new ship, the Bowie, was a four-story set.
- Judianna Makovsky serves as costume designer.
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was filmed at the same time as Vol. 3, from February to late April 2022, with the same main cast and sets.
- James Gunn enjoyed being able to switch to filming the special after doing scenes for Vol. 3, given the tonal difference between the two with Vol. 3 being more “emotional”, feeling it helped provide a “relief” to the actors as well, and called the Holiday Special shoot easier than Vol. 3.
- In February 2022, Callie Brand was revealed to appear in the film as an alien.
- Shooting was also expected to occur in London, England, in late 2021.
- Filming wrapped on May 6, 2022.
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