Disney is reportedly looking for a female director to take on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It was recently revealed that Marvel Studios is looking to start production on the third and final movie in the franchise sometime in 2021, under the working title of Hot Christmas, which has yet to be officially confirmed at this time. 2021 is a pretty long wait, especially considering that the film was already supposed to be in the pre-production process as of now. But, the studio has yet to find a director to take over for James Gunn.

According to a new rumor, Disney and Marvel Studios are on the hunt to find the right woman to direct Guardians of the Galaxy 3. No context was given, but apparently there is a shortlist consisting of Dee Rees (Mudbound), Michelle Maxwell MacLaren (Game of Thrones), and S.J. Clarkson (Star Trek 4). Again, this information has not been confirmed by anybody at Marvel Studios or Disney at this time.

Previously, Marvel Cinematic Universe fans were hoping that Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi would take on the project, but that doesn't look like that's happening anymore. With that being said, if that shortlist is proven to be true, Marvel Studios are setting their sights pretty high. Dee Rees would be an excellent candidate, as would Michelle McLaren and S.J. Clarkson, so basically any of those women could take Guardians of the Galaxy 3 and make something new with the franchise, while already working with established characters from a script that James Gunn wrote.

James Gunn was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy 3 back in July after some of his old tweets containing bad jokes about rape and pedophilia resurfaced. Disney made the decision to fire the director very quickly and have not looked back since. They have stated that they have no intention of re-hiring Gunn, even after a major backlash by Marvel fans and as well as the cast of the film. Now, Gunn will be trying out for the other team to take on DC's Suicide Squad 2, while another director will take his place on Guardians of the Galaxy 3.

For now, Marvel Studios is apparently in no rush to find a director, but it seems that it would be logical to find one sooner rather than later. James Gunn had previously mentioned that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is going to help set up the next ten years for the MCU, so getting the movie out quickly would be a pretty good idea. But, the studio seems to know what they are doing, and they have an excellent track record of keeping secrets and making huge box office sensations. Will they hire Dee Rees, Michelle McLaren, or S.J. Clarkson? That remains to be seen, but that's a pretty great shortlist to work off of. The shortlist rumor comes to us from Super Bro Movies.