James Gunn Confirms “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3” is the Final Chapter

Chris Pratt and Rocket (Bradley Cooper) in
Chris Pratt and Rocket (Bradley Cooper) in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2." Photo by Marvel Studios/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock (9224659v)

Even good things must come to an end. 

That is the word from James Gunn who has confirmed that the upcoming third chapter of Guardians of the Galaxy will be its last. 

The franchise first hit screens in 2014, becoming the 10th film in the MCU. Since then, the team comprised of Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Gamora, and Drax the Destroyer has also appeared in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Thor: Love and Thunder. 

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 grossed more than $863 million at the global box office in 2017, with Vol. 3 due out next year. Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillian, and Sean Gunn set to reprise their roles. Will Poulter has also joined the cast. 

As the official trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 premiered at San Diego Comic-Con, director James Gunn said, “This is the end of that story. I’m sorry. Some stories have an end. It doesn’t mean everybody dies.”

The filmmaker was previously dismissed by Disney in 2018 after controversial old tweets emerged, but was reinstated following a massive fan campaign and criticism from several Hollywood stars. 

“For a while I wasn’t going to do this movie. Then I came back,” Gunn said. “And the reason I knew I needed to come back was to tell this story and, in some ways in particular, I have a special closeness to the character of Rocket and I knew I needed to finish to tell his story.”

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 is out on May 5, 2023.