Guardians of the Galaxy's James Gunn Doesn't Want to Direct an Avengers Movie

If you're hoping to see James Gunn's Avengers blockbuster someday, you might not want to hold your breath. During one of his legendary Instagram Q&A's Saturday afternoon, the Guardians of the Galaxy director revealed he's never been asked to write or direct an Avengers flick for Marvel Studios. If he did get an offer, the director says, he wouldn't take the job anyway.

"I haven't been asked, but I wouldn't do it if I was," Gunn wrote in response to a fan question. Later on in the Q&A, Gunn explained his decision to not direct an entry in the tentpole franchise. "It just doesn't appeal to me," he added.

The last two Avengers features, of course, have been directed by brothers Joe and Anthony Russo. With Gunn not interested in directing Avengers 5, it'd certainly pave the way for the Russos to return, should Marvel Studios come up with an idea the two would like. Last year, the duo said one storyline that'd encourage a return would be the original Secret Wars storyline.

"I keep saying Secret Wars because that was one of the first books that I really fell in love with as a kid," Joe said last year. "This notion of, you know, event storytelling, and I think that's part of the reason that we gravitate so strongly towards these event films and these ensemble films is the notion that you can contain so many different characters and so many different points of view and galvanize them around a story point is really compelling to us."

In a bizarre twist of fate, Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was initially supposed to hit theaters this May prior to the director being temporarily relieved of his duties on the project. Because of the brief personnel change, Marvel Studios slotted Black Widow in the date instead, a movie that's now set for release this November due to delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Original date for the release of Vol 3 was going to be May of this year - we would have been delayed because of coronavirus. God works in mysterious ways. https://t.co/Vu2zu6GtJC

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 26, 2020

Both Guardians of the Galaxy movies are now streaming on Disney+. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has yet to set a release date.

Cover photo by Richard Harbaugh/Disneyland Resort via Getty Images