‘Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3’ Status Confirmed by Marvel’s Kevin Feige

Earlier this year Marvel fans got rocked by the news that Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn had been fired by Disney after controversial tweets from Gunn’s past were highlighted on social media. So what of the next film? Well, it’s current state has just been confirmed.

In the last few weeks there were rumors that Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 would still happen, just on a later timetable than before. However, those rumors may now have to be put to rest, as Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has confirmed that Guardians of the Galaxy‘s current status is officially “On hold.”

There’s been a massive swell of fan and industry support for James Gunn to be brought back for Guardians 3, but the top executives at Disney have indicated that it won’t be happening. A lot of Gunn’s cast members from the first two films have bucked against his firing, with some like Dave Bautista and Bradley Cooper claiming to have lost interest in returning for a third installment. In total, it seems that Disney’s decision has all but killed one of the best things that Marvel Studios had going.

Of course, Feige’s “confirmation” probably should be taken with a sight grain of salt. The Marvel Studios head is notorious for playing it coy when it comes to revealing details or plans regarding future movies; his claim that Guardians is “on hold” isn’t the same as it being “dead.”

If anything, a hold could indicate that Marvel is waiting until the dust settles from the Gunn controversy before moving forward with the franchise, and that could still fit with reports that production on Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 won’t begin until 2021. Who knows, at that point the waters may have calmed enough for Gunn to be brought back into the fold, but since Warner Bros. and DC Films have apparently approached James Gunn to direct Suicide Squad 2, he may be spoken for.

Avengers: Infinity War and Ant-Man and the Wasp are now available as digital downloads as well as on Blu-ray and DVD. Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, Avengers 4 on May 3, 2019, and Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5, 2019.