Guardians of the Galaxy 3 arrived a cool six years after the second installment. So it’s certainly been a while since their last solo journey and a lot has happened. The Blip was still just a looming threat… remember those pre-Infinity War days? Neither do I. When we reunite with the crew—post Infinity War and Endgame—there will be plenty to unpack. Among the highlights: Gamora’s death, most of the team vanished for five years in the Blip, a younger version of Gamora is also rolling with the crew, and they’re finally back together. So there’s plenty to speculate about.
Here’s everything we know about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Title
The third installment in the beloved series is simply Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Guardian of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s Plot
We don’t know much about the film’s plot yet, beyond that it takes place after the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Additionally, James Gunn did confirm that this is the final act for this particular rendition of the Guardians. Gunn told Deadline‘s Hero Nation podcast, “This is the end for us, the last time people will see this team of Guardians.” So we can only imagine this iteration of Guardians will go out with quite a bang.
You can see the latest trailer for the movie below:
One thing we do know, though, is that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is going to spend a lot of time with Rocket. Recently, James Gunn spoke to EW and shared just how much the grumpy raccoon plays into the third GOTG movie.
According to Gunn, one of the reasons he came back for Vol. 3 included needing to tell Rocket’s story and feeling very connected to the character. He says, “I feel like nobody would be able to tell his full story if it wasn’t me.”
Additionally, Gunn offers:
To me, Rocket has always been the secret protagonist of the Guardians movies… From the beginning, it has been rooted in who he is as a character. I think he exemplifies a lot of the traits of all the Guardians. They’ve had all these traumas, and it brings them together. I just think that his is more extreme than others… He was just fine being an animal, and he was transformed into something else he didn’t want to be. I think that transformation itself was extremely painful, but I also think it made him feel incredibly alienated from everyone else. In Vol. 3, we learn a lot about his past — where he came from, who he is, and what he’s been through. It’s been a difficult road for the little animal.
We can’t wait to get the Rocket backstory we all want and deserve.
For now, we have our first clips from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. In the latest clip released, we get hit with a powerful punch of emotions. This look at the movie features a taste of Rocket’s backstory, and it’s very sad. The High Evolutionary, we assume, has been experimenting on animals, and the result is a whole gaggle of cute, sentient beings in a lot of pain. We have Rocket, of course, who gets his name in the below clip. In addition, we meet his best friends, Lylla the otter (voiced by Linda Cardellini), Floor the rabbit (voiced by Mikaela Hoover), and Teefs the walrus (voiced by Asim Chaudhry). Cardellini and Hoover both return for their second MCU role.
Ultimately, these creatures just want to see the great big sky together in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. We hope their friendship lasts and that they all get happy endings. Although we must say, things are not looking good for Rocket.
Additional clips revealed more aspects of the movie. In the first, Quill and Nebula butt heads spectacularly over a rather annoying door. There’s even a bleep involved. But that bleep will actually become the MCU’s first-ever F-Bomb.
According to James Gunn, this bleep will not be censored in the movie proper.
We also love the second released clip from Vol 3. It brings us right into the world of the Guardians. Everything hits the right note of humor—but below the surface, there’s more than a little pain and drama.
Finally, the latest Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 clip gives us our best look yet at Adam Warlock. This powerful hero clashes with Nebula, and the two are off to a rocky start. We’ll have to see what becomes of this hero, but one thing is for sure. He does not lack power.
Behind the Scenes
After a long, tumultuous road, James Gunn is back in the director’s chair for the final installment. He’s also, once again, writing the script. Frequent Gunn collaborator Fred Raskin is back as editing, alongside Craig Wood. The Suicide Squad‘s composer John Murphy is scoring the film.
Guardian of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s Cast
As this is a GOTG film, it sees all our usual suspects returning for more—with a slight caveat. As such, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Pom Klementieff, Karen Gillan, and Sean Gunn are back. However, Saldaña’s playing an earlier version of Gamora, as the one we’ve met over the course of the franchise died at the hands of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. However, in Avengers: Endgame the younger version of the character traveled to present-day MCU and is now part of the crew. Additionally, Michael Rosenbaum has revealed that he will return as Martinex, the crystal Ravager
New additions include Sylvester Stallone, who will play Stakar Ogord and Will Poulter as Adam Warlock. Peacemaker‘s Chukwudi Iwuji is also reuniting with Gunn for the project. San Diego Comic-Con 2022 confirmed Iwuji will play the film’s villain, the High Evolutionary. The Suicide Squad star Daniela Melchior and The Bubble‘s Maria Bakalova will also appear, with Gunn confirming both actors’ appearances. Crazy Rich Asians and Superstore actor Nico Santos has also been cast. Their roles are still under wraps.
James Gunn also revealed that returning MCU vet Linda Cardellini will play Lylla the otter. A second returning MCU actor will voice Floor the rabbit. And Asim Chaudhry will play Teefs the walrus. All these sentient animals feature in Rocket’s past. In flashbacks, young Rocket will be voiced by Sean Gunn for the first time; the actor does the motion capture work for Rocket.
James Gunn also gave us a look at Nathan Fillion’s character from the movie, Master Karja. This new MCU character is donning an orgosentry uniform, which Gunn shares is “in the film, an organic suit genetically designed.” We can’t wait to see it in action.
Guardian of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s Release Date
The film is slated for a May 5, 2023 release.
We’ll keep you posted on any new details—and potential mixtape bangers—as we learn them.
