Dave Bautista Offers Update on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise from Marvel Studios has suffered quite a few setbacks en route to its third installment. First, director James Gunn was fired back in the summer of 2018, due to decade-old tweets featuring insensitive jokes. Gunn was hired back months later, much to the joy of fans and Guardians cast members, but the director had to complete work on The Suicide Squad before returning to Marvel. Then the pandemic caused a delay in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe schedule. Fortunately, as we look to 2021, it appears that Guardians 3 is ready to get back on track, even as the overall MCU faces some major changes.

Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista recently spoke with EW and was asked about the future of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. He mentioned that the production would likely be kicking off at the end of 2021, and that the film would likely have to account for some shifts in the greater MCU.

"I believe it's okay to say that we will go into production late next year," said Bautista. "I saw a script early on when we were all on schedule and James Gunn was attached before everything went nutso. I believe because [Marvel's] whole calendar has changed [due to the pandemic shutdown and Guardians' production delays], that storylines have changed, and they won't intersect like originally planned. Obviously, we lost Chadwick [Boseman], so I don't know where that leaves Black Panther. I haven't seen a new script, is the short answer."

There has been some serious shuffling to the MCU over the last year. The pandemic changed a lot of dates, and some of the upcoming films traded spots for one reason or another. For example, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hopped ahead of Eternals, both arriving in 2021.

The most substantial question mark remaining in the MCU, as Bautista referenced, is the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman. The beloved actor starred in the MCU as the Black Panther, and figured to have a massive role in the franchise moving forward. His loss won't just impact the Black Panther sequel, but the future of the MCU as a whole.

Given that the Guardians of the Galaxy series is set in space, mostly removed from the events taking place on Earth, there's a chance that some of the events in the MCU won't affect the team in any way. Then again, if that tease of Nick Fury's work with the Skrulls is any indication, the Guardians may find themselves more intertwined with the overall story than expected.

Are you looking forward to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3? Let us know in the comments!