Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Director James Gunn Addresses the Long Runtime

Now that Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is in theaters, James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the next film due out from the filmmakers at Marvel Studios. The film is effectively ending the current iteration of the beloved cosmic team as we know it and because of that, the movie will have the longest runtime in the franchise. While an exact runtime has yet to be determined, Gunn himself has now confirmed the movie will be around two-and-a-half hours in length.

“It’s around that long, although that’s not yet exact,” the filmmaker said in a response to a fan asking if reports suggesting a 149-minute runtime were accurate. “And, I promise, not a second is wasted. There’s no fat. It was necessary to experience the full arc for every major Guardians character, not only for this film, but for the trilogy (or, I should say, trilogy plus).”

It’s around that long, although that’s not yet exact. And, I promise, not a second is wasted. There’s no fat. It was necessary to experience the full arc for every major Guardians character, not only for this film, but for the trilogy (or, I should say, trilogy plus). https://t.co/HwqXOtzesm

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) March 26, 2023

Will there be more movies in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise?

Before the film debut of the group in 2014’s self-titled film, the Guardians of the Galaxy were arguably one of Marvel’s least-known groups. Now that the cosmic heroes are household names, it’s unlikely Marvel Studios will give up on the franchise. That said, most of the filmmakers apart of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are preparing to say goodbye to this batch of characters.

“It was great because the shooting schedules were totally intermingled. Vol. 3 has a lot of the fun and the goofy stuff of Guardians, but it’s also incredibly emotional. It’s the end of the story for this group of Guardians, so there was a lot of emotion around it,” Gunn told Entertainment Weekly. “It was very serious a lot of the time. The actors were all pushing themselves a lot, especially Chris Pratt. It was heavy. So to be able to take a day off and go shoot this goofy, low-stakes comedy show where nothing was really too serious, that was really a relief, and it was a lot of fun. I really would look forward to those holiday special days on my schedule. It’s like, ‘Oh, it’s a holiday special day today. Let’s party.’”

What is Guardians of the Galaxy 3 going to be about?

Marvel’s synopsis for the sequel can be found below.

“In Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 our beloved band of misfits are settling into life on Knowhere. But it isn’t long before their lives are upended by the echoes of Rocket’s turbulent past,” the synopsis reads. “Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him on a dangerous mission to save Rocket’s life-a mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.”

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, and the rest of the Guardians franchise, is now available exclusively on Disney+ while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on May 5th.

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