James Gunn has Been Rehired to Direct ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’; Will Still Make ‘The Suicide Squad’
In a move that’s sure to make Dave Bautista happy, James Gunn has been rehired by Marvel Studios to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3! He is set to get back to work after he’s done completing The Suicide Squad for DC Films.
Deadline has broke the news that Marvel Studios are hooked on a feeling that James Gunn’s prior comments that he has long since apologized for are not grounds to keep him out of the director’s chair. As such, he will be back to develop Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 from the script that he already finished. Said script is likely to undergo revisions all the same, given that the original draft was meant to set up The Eternals, which is now slated to release first. Meanwhile, the completion of the Disney-Fox deal likely means that he’ll be free to add other cosmic elements to his story, since a bulk of Marvel’s cosmic characters are tied to the Fantastic Four and X-Men franchises that Fox held the license to.
This is by no means bad news for DC Films, who hired Gunn to handle The Suicide Squad. Due to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s production delay, Gunn will still have more than enough time to have fun in DC’s sandbox of characters before stepping back into Marvel’s fold. As such, Dave Bautista, who is apparently being sought for the role of The Peacemaker in that film, is free to appear in both movies if he so chooses. Since development on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was pushed back to give Marvel enough time to find a suitable replacement for Gunn, that gives him more than enough time to film The Suicide Squad before getting back to work on the Marvel franchise that put him on the map.
More details: @JamesGunn will do both THE SUICIDE SQUAD…and #guardiansofthegalaxy 3. SQUAD will go first, to shoot late fall of this year. Guardians 3 would follow.
— Borys Kit (@Borys_Kit) March 15, 2019
Given that the “movement” to get Gunn fired from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in the first place started with partisan attacks by extremists who wanted to silence critics of a certain individual, it stands to reason that they had little ground to actually stand on, especially since they don’t reflect Gunn’s personality now. Suffice to say, the Marvel side of the internet is throwing fits of rapture over this news, with Gunn himself pleased to confirm his return via Twitter:
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) March 15, 2019
Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp director Peyton Reed also threw his hat into the ring:
Welcome back, James. pic.twitter.com/UeFv45LSM9
— Peyton Reed (@MrPeytonReed) March 15, 2019
The Suicide Squad is set to release on August 6, 2021. Meanwhile, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is in development at Marvel Studios for a likely 2022 release.
Grant Davis is a freelance writer who has covered entertainment news for more than seven years. His articles have frequently appeared in Star Wars News Net as well as as other entertainment-related websites. As someone who grew up on Star Wars and comic book movies, he’s completely thrilled with the current era of genre entertainment.
