Will James Gunn Return For ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 4’?: Never Say Never

James Gunn is set to direct the latest chapter in the Guardians Of The Galaxy film franchise this year with Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3. For quite some time now, Gunn has said that he was planning on using this third film in the series to wrap up the story that began in the first film and conclude his trilogy. Gunn wants to tell a complete emotional journey that will be the final adventure of the current iteration of the team and potentially be the last time we may even see some of these characters!

While it is likely that the Guardians Of The Galaxy film series will continue onward in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is also likely that we will see some major changes following the events of the third film. In the comics, a vast number of different heroes have been part of the team over the years, so it stands to reason that we may see some new characters shuffled into the deck as we say goodbye to some of our old favorites. The bigger question is, will be see someone new in the director’s chair?

It goes without saying that director James Gunn has been instrumental to the success of the Guardians Of The Galaxy franchise. Marvel gave him a wide range of creative freedoms when he wrote and directed the first film back in 2014 and he turned these D-list characters into household names as well as expanding the cosmic sector of the larger MCU; an area that was largely untouched before this film and will be a massive part of the MCU’s future. Between the first two films, James Gunn’s Guardians Of The Galaxy franchise have made over $1.6 billion at the box office.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 has already had a long and storied pre-production, with James Gunn having been hired to direct the film after the success of the first two, only to be fired when a series of controversial old Tweets resurfaced. After a lengthy search for a replacement that took several months and ultimately delayed the production of the film (which was originally supposed to be filmed in 2019 and released this year), Marvel Studios settled on rehiring James Gunn for the directing gig. This move was highly praised by fans of the series, as well as the cast who had been pushing for his return behind the scenes. Unfortunately as they dragged their feet to rehire him, he had already signed on to write and direct the DC Comics adaptation The Suicide Squad for rival studio Warner Bros., which pushed back Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 even further.

Marvel Studios has finally given Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3 an official release window of May 2023, with filming slated to being once Gunn finishes up his work on The Suicide Squad and its spinoff HBO Max streaming series Peacekeeper. The third Guardians Of The Galaxy film is still at least two years away from release, but fans are already clamoring for more information as to what will come next!

James Gunn is well known for being active on his social media platforms and regularly interacts with fans when asked about projects he is working on or has worked on in the past. While filming on Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 has not even begun yet, Gunn is already being bombarded with questions about a potential fourth film in the series. As there are currently not any official plans for Marvel to develop a fourth Guardians Of The Galaxy film, Gunn seems to think that it isn’t out of the question; even if his own involvement might be up in the air.

When asked point blank by fans, Gunn had conflicting responses that make it seem like he isn’t ready to commit to leaving just yet. When asked if this was his last Guardians Of The Galaxy film, Gunn said that “I’m planning on it being my last“. Then when another fan asked him if he would do a fourth Guardians film if given the chance, Gunn seemed more open to the idea saying “Me? Never say never but I see Vol 3 as the end of the Guardians’ story I started telling back with Vol 1“.

While it sounds like Gunn might be open to writing and directing a fourth film in the franchise, he seems content with the idea of wrapping up the story he set out to tell with this third chapter in the saga. As one of the most in-demand people currently working in the industry, Gunn certainly has a vast number of options open to him as to his next project following Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3.

At the end of the day, if Marvel decides they want to develop a fourth Guardians Of The Galaxy film, it will almost certainly happen whether Gunn decides he wants to return to direct or not. Gunn has stepped in to produce for Marvel and oversee the use of the Guardians characters in films like Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and the upcoming Thor: Love And Thunder. If a fourth film does happen, he could always step into a similar role to guide the film in the right direction without being as hands on.

Alternatively, Gunn could use the completion of his work on the Guardians Of The Galaxy trilogy to step away from the MCU entirely. It has been a long couple of years for the director whose career has taken off into the stratosphere following his last few projects and there are bound to be other projects he is interested in working on once he wraps up this third Guardians film.

As of now, there is still just under two years before Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to release, which means both Marvel Studios and James Gunn have got quite a bit of time on their hands to make a decision as to what they want to do next. Only time will tell. At least we still have the Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special to look forward to!

Would you like to see James Gunn stick around for a fourth entry in the Guardians Of The Galaxy franchise? Or do you think he should walk away after this upcoming third volume and let someone else take the reins? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below and be sure to stick around Geek Anything for more Guardians Of The Galaxy updates!