UPDATE: James Gunn Teases Galactus and Silver Surfer Appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

UPDATE: James Gunn has since stated he never posted this, adding that no such conversations took place. The original article continues below.

Fans have been dying to see cosmic characters like Galactus and the Silver Surfer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe now that Disney has finalized their acquisition of 20th Century Fox and everything that comes with it. But while they already rebranded the popular production company and taken advantage of their resources, they have yet to add characters like the X-Men or the Fantastic Four to their continuity. Fans shouldn't get impatient just yet, as we might see the debut of certain heavy hitters in the highly anticipated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

When writer and director James Gunn took to social media for a fan Q&A session, he reportedly posted then deleted a question where a fan asked if there's "any chance we'll see Galactus or Silver Surfer in Vol. 3?"

Gunn responded, "I've had some discussions.. :)" though that answer has since been deleted.

There's no word yet on when these characters will appear, and Gunn himself has stated that his script for the next Guardians of the Galaxy movie was finished well before Marvel Studios regained the rights to Fantastic Four and X-Men properties. That means he wouldn't have access to Silver Surfer or Galactus at the time he wrote the drafts.

But Gunn has obviously made moves before, prompting Marvel to make a deal with Fox before the acquisition so they could include Ego the Living Planet in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Also, the movie isn't set to begin filming until Gunn has completely fulfilled his duties on The Suicide Squad, which is still filming for the rest of the month. That means there's still time to add them to the script if they aren't already there.

With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 high on the priority list for Marvel Studios, it would be a perfect opportunity to introduce the stranger cosmic aspects of the Fantastic Four franchise. It could also set up future plans for a movie, especially with Ant-Man and the Wasp director Peyton Reed chomping at the bit to see their debut after pitching an idea years ago.

"Well, I certainly as a fan would love to see Fantastic Four as part of the [Marvel Cinematic Universe," Reed told ComicBook.com in 2018. "It just feels like in the comics, man, they're the royal family. So as a fan, I would love to see it, and beyond that, who knows. Who knows if that deal's going to happen, or if so when. I have no idea, but I just know as a Marvel fan, that's something I'd love to see."

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 does not yet have a release date.