Disney's Buyout Of Fox Won't Affect 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'

With news of the Walt Disney Company's plan to purchase the entertainment assets of 21st Century Fox, Marvel Studios could be one of the most affected subsidiaries as many of the comic publisher's popular characters come under the purview of Kevin Feige.

But those new characters could also greatly affect the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, much like Spider-Man altered Marvel's slate after the deal with Sony went through. Luckily, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 won't feel those potential ramifications.

Director James Gunn, who confirmed the movie is on track for release in 2020, also assuaged fans' fears when he said the Fox deal wouldn't affect his film, even though some thought it could change the cosmic characters who will appear on screen.

If Disney succeeds in purchasing Fox, will it change your story for GOTG 3?

— Matthew McLean (@MattMcLean73) January 14, 2018

No. https://t.co/dUwTJR4Q9L

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 14, 2018

This is actually a good thing. Gunn has been deep into the story process for his third adventure with Marvel's cosmic superteam. While the deal could be approved and finalized by the time work begins on his film, it would be way too late in the scripting process to have characters like Galactus or Annihilus to factor heavily into the plot.

Sure, they could always tack on a post-credits scene or two to help tease the new branches of the MCU's cosmic side, but changing his plans altogether just because he can include a Super Skull would be detrimental to the filmmaking process.

Instead, we should be happy that Marvel doesn't try to fast track a movie for release, like they did with Spider-Man: Homecoming which ended up forcing Black Panther and Captain Marvel to move back on their release calendar.

Gunn is still one of the stewards of the MCU, helping Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige plot out the trajectory of their vast library of characters moving forward. He probably has some great ideas for properties that will soon be available to them.

But Guardians of the Galaxy has been his baby ever since he was first brought on, taking the relatively unknown property to popular heights. That he's going to be unencumbered by new corporate mandates for his third and possibly final installment should be encouraging for every fan.