A GALAXY QUEST
After director James Gunn was fired for old tweets, what next for Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3?
1 __ FULL STEAM AHEAD (LIKELY)
What now for one of the biggest jewels in Marvel’s crown? Where does Guardians go from here? Although Marvel are cagey about confirming titles and release dates until the dust from Avengers 4 has settled, the smart money was on Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 taking the May 2020 slot. Gunn, as per his own tweets, had finished the screenplay and chosen the songs for the soundtrack. Marvel could decide to bring in a new director to work from that screenplay, with minimal retooling. Taika Waititi has been mentioned by fans as an ideal replacement, citing his work on
Thor: Ragnarok, but he’s busy working on
Jojo Rabbit, and simply might not want to take over from Gunn.
2 __ PUSH IT BACK (LESS LIKELY)
The controversy over Gunn’s old tweets might render the filmmaker toxic for some, so there’s a chance Marvel might seek to completely retool his script. Whether it could be done in time for 2020 remains to be seen (it did, admittedly, work around Edgar Wright’s departure from Ant-man in a shorter timeframe). And the MCU timeline is so intricate that pushing back such a major film, even by a year, would have post-avengers repercussions they’re probably looking to avoid.
3 __ REINSTATE GUNN (HIGHLY UNLIKELY)
Members of the Guardians family have expressed their support for Gunn — some overtly, like Gunn’s brother Sean, who plays Kraglin and is the on-set Rocket Raccoon, and some obliquely, like Chris Pratt, who posted a Bible passage from the Book Of James. And then there’s Dave Bautista (who plays Drax The Destroyer) who has been open, even outspoken, in his defence of the director. “I’m NOT ok with what’s happening to him,” he tweeted. There’s a chance Disney may be surprised by the pushback to its decision and may decide it will be best for the franchise if it reinstates the man with whom the cast feel most comfortable. But that’s unlikely. The smart money is on Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3, with a fresh director, arriving sometime in 2020.