At the premier of Lego Movie 2, Chris Pratt confirmed to reporters that despite franchise-runner James Gunn’s ouster from Marvel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will move forward. "I promise there’ll be a third movie," said Pratt. "I don’t know exactly what that’s going to look like, but I know everyone on board is just eager to give the fans what they want and wrap up a trilogy in a meaningful way."
Production of the third Guardians film was put on hold last summer after Gunn, who wrote and directed the first two outings, was fired by Marvel after years-old tweets in which he joked about rape and pedophilia surfaced. Gunn offered his "deepest apologies" for the tweets, which were dug up by right-wing trolls spurred by "Pizzagate" promoter Mike Cernovich in the wake of Gunn's outspoken criticism of Donald Trump.
"My words of nearly a decade ago were, at the time, totally failed and unfortunate efforts to be provocative," Gunn said in a statement. "I have regretted them for many years since. Not just because they were stupid, not at all funny, wildly insensitive, and certainly not provocative like I had hoped, but also because they don’t reflect the person I am today or have been for some time."
The Guardians cast was vocal in its outrage over Gunn’s sacking, and the actors released an open letter supporting Gunn and calling for his reinstatement. Drax actor Dave Bautista even threatened to quit, saying during an interview that he’s not sure if he wants to "work for Disney."
"There’s a bit of an issue. It’s a bittersweet conversation," said Bautista on The Jonathan Ross Show in September. "No—it’s a bitter, bitter conversation, because I’m not really happy with what they’ve done with James Gunn."
But Pratt's not the only Guardians star to assure fans of the trilogy's return in recent months—Karen Gillan, who plays Nebula, told People Magazine in December that though Gunn "won’t be with us," the cast is "excited to continue the Guardians of the Galaxy story and keep delivering to the fans."
"That’s the most important thing," Gillan said. "I don’t have any details as to when [the next Guardians film will come out] but there’s a script in existence."
Gunn seems to have landed on his feet, and has reportedly moved to DC to write and direct the Suicide Squad sequel. Leaving the much-beloved Guardians films for the critically panned Suicide Squad franchise is definitely a step down for Gunn, but may be just the boost the struggling DC films need. "Sources say that Gunn’s focus is to take the franchise in a new direction with a mostly all-new cast of characters and actors," wrote The Hollywood Reporter. "Sources also say that the project is also very much rooted in Gunn’s vibe, as seen in the Guardians movies." THR also reported that DC offered Gunn his pick of the company's franchises, and that he passed up the opportunity to helm a Superman film in favour of re-launching the Suicide Squad series.
