Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the last outing for James Gunn and the current cast, the director confirmed in an interview with Deadline this week.

　　"This is the end for us, the last time people will see this team of Guardians," Gunn said on Deadline's Hero Nation podcast. "It's big; it's so big and dark, and different from what people might be expecting it to be," Gunn said (he said almost exactly the same thing about The Suicide Squad, interestingly). "I just want to be true to the characters, the story, and give people the wrap-up they deserve for the story. That's always a little bit scary; I'm doing my best."

　　"I'm aware," Gunn also added, "that the third film in most trilogies sucks. Not always."

　　After directing the first two Guardians movies, Gunn was famously fired by Disney in response to old tweets with intentionally edgy jokes about topics like the holocaust and pedophiles. Gunn had since apologized for the tweets, but Disney terminated their relationship with the director long enough for him to make a deal with Warner Bros. to direct The Suicide Squad. Disney subsequently re-hired Gunn to write and direct Guardians Vol. 3, as well as a Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

　　Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to hit theaters on May 5, 2023. In addition to the standard cast--Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, and Vin Diesel--the movie will star Will Poulter as Adam Warlock. Actor Chukwudi Iwuji also features in the film, and he currently plays the role of Murn in Gunn's Peacemaker series, which is currently streaming new episodes Thursdays on HBO Max.

　　Eric Frederiksen on Google+