Long in development, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn's relationship with the MCU threequel has been a tad up and down (to put it light). At one stage filmmaker was fired from the project for tweets he posted nearly a decade prior, but even with all the dithering and delay, Gunn has now assured fans of the franchise that his plans have diverted very little from his original idea. Gunn was asked recently whether he has had to tweak the script for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on account of the production woes, to which he replied...

"No, not much. Most of the tweaks have been creative choices. The Guardians' path has been set for a long time."

James Gunn being confident in his plans for the third movie in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, and not having to change anything to accommodate the various delays, should assure fans that the director will wrap up his trilogy the way he had always intended to, and bring the interstellar adventures of Star-Lord and his crew to a satisfying conclusion that should follow-on wonderfully from the previous installments.

Though this is obviously great news for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Gunn did recently provide some bad news, revealing that the third movie will likely be the last one that he helms. "I'm planning on it being my last," Gunn said on social media when asked if he planned to go beyond volume 3.

While details of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 remain under lock and key in the Marvel vault, Gunn as previously revealed some clues as the direction of the story, stating that it will heavily involve Bradley Cooper's Rocket Racoon. "I'll just say Rocket is a big part of what's happening in the future - and a lot of this stuff (like the scars we're about to see on his back) sets up what I've been planning for Rocket all along," the director revealed last year. Gunn went on to proide some more insight into the hero a little while later, saying that Rocket's loneliness is not just central to the character, but to the entire Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. "Part of the cybernetics apparently painfully placed in his body. One of my favorite moments in the movie. Rocket's loneliness and disaffection is at the center of the franchise for me," Gunn said.

While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 may end up being James Gunn's last foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the director is far from finished with the comic book genre. The director is moving over the world of DC for The Suicide Squad, which finds the titular team sent to destroy a Nazi-era prison and laboratory and is due for release on August 6.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was recently given a summer release date of May 5, 2023, courtesy of Marvel Studios' Phase 4 sizzle reel, which teased all manner of things to come including footage from Eternals, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and confirmation that Fantastic Four will be the last movie in this particular MCU phase.