Guardians Of The Galaxy Trilogy Will Be One Fluid Story

04/21/2017 03:07 pm EDT

Fans were elated upon hearing the news that director James Gunn is coming back for a third go-round in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and fans will be able to see a continuous throughline in all three projects when all is said and done.

That doesn't just correspond to the teams and characters either. Gunn spoke to EW at the premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, where he said "I think really that the three movies work together as a whole, they're going to tell one story. This is the story of this iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and we're going to get to know the characters even better in the same way we got to know them much better in this film than the first one."

"I wouldn't have said yes if I didn't have a fairly clear idea of where we were going and what we were going to do. I'm not a guy that's just going to do it if I don't have a vision for it. So, I'm very excited." Some thought there was a good chance Gunn would opt to do something else after Vol. 2, just due to the fact that the director assuredly has other ideas he would like to conquer. The good news is there will at least be one more chapter in this wonderful run, and fans couldn't be happier.

Set to the backdrop of 'Awesome Mixtape #2,' Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team's adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill's true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes' aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is written and directed by James Gunn (Slither). The film marks the return of the original Guardians, including Chris Pratt (Jurassic World) as Peter Quill/Star-Lord; Zoe Saldana (Star Trek Into Darkness) as Gamora; Dave Bautista (Spectre) as Drax; Vin Diesel (Furious 7) as the voice of Groot; Bradley Cooper (American Sniper) as the voice of Rocket; Michael Rooker (Jumper) as Yondu; Karen Gillan (The Big Short) as Nebula; and Sean Gunn (Gilmore Girls) as Kraglin. New cast members include Pom Klementieff (Oldboy), Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby, Everest), Chris Sullivan (The Knick, The Drop) and Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight, The Thing).

Next up for Marvel is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 on May 5, 2017. Spider-Man: Homecoming lands on July 7, 2017, followed by Thor: Ragnarok on November 3, 2017. After that Black Panther debuts on February 16, 2018, while Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on May 4, 2018. Ant-Man and the Wasp is slated for July 6, 2018, followed by Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019.

MORE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2: Kevin Feige Confirms Secret Miley Cyrus Role In Vol. 2 / James Gunn & Geoff Johns Bring Together Marvel And DC Fans On Twitter / Dave Bautista Wants Moondragon For Guardians 3