Guardians of the Galaxy 3: James Gunn Confirms Production Won’t Start Until The Suicide Squad Is Completely Edited

As one might expect, James Gunn won’t be starting production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 until The Suicide Squad is completely in the can. The filmmaker confirmed in a comment on his Instagram Sunday he wouldn’t be starting principal photography on the Guardians threequel until his film for Warner Brothers is edited. It’s unclear what the exact production schedule is like for The Suicide Squad, a project currently filming; it’s not expected to be released until August 2021.

The news came in the comments section to a post showing the gift he received from Marvel Studios commemorating his start on the DC Comics film. “You are correct,” Gunn told a fan. “But I won’t start Vol. 3 until after Squad is finished editing, not filming.” It’s said principal photography on the film will last for three months in Atlanta, Georgia before heading to Panama for an additional month. That’d place the end of principal photography towards the end of January 2020, not accounting for reshoots or additional photography.

It still stands to reason Warner Brothers could end up pushing the release date for the film up quite a bit. Even with reshoots and post-production, it’s very possible the film could be edited and in the can by August 2020, a full year ahead of its currently scheduled release date. This April, THR reported Guardians of the Galaxy 3 would begin production sometime in 2020, after previous reports suggested it wouldn’t start until February 2021.

Either way, it’s safe to say Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will more than likely fall into Marvel Studios’ third release date (July 29) in 2022, at the earliest. Last month, we asked Guardians of the Galaxy star Sean Gunn if he’s been clued into the scheduling behind the film and while he remained pretty quiet, he did promise it’d come sooner or later.

“We’re kind of figuring that out now,” Gunn said at the time. “I think it’s going to be a little bit, but I’m definitely looking forward to it. It’s going to be fun. But I don’t know for sure when that’s going to be, but it’s definitely coming.”

The Suicide Squad is set for release on August 6, 2021. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 does not have a release date.

Which movie do you think will end up grossing more at the box office — The Suicide Squad or Guardians 3? Share your thoughts in the comments below or by tweeting me at @AdamBarnhardt to chat all things MCU!