The question of whether Sylvester Stallone would be reprising his role of Stakar Ogord, aka Starhawk, in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been on Marvel fans' minds for a while now, and thanks to a new video shared by the Expendables actor we have finally been given confirmation that he will be back for the latest cosmic adventure. The third movie in the Guardians franchise will be released in 2023 and kicked off filming last week, with James Gunn sharing an image of himself and the returning main cast as the official announcement, and it looks like it hasn't taken Stallone to join the party.

Having recently been tied up filming the latest Expendables movie, it looks like Sylvester Stallone has wasted no time in heading over to the Marvel shoot. Stallone has previously appeared in the role in short scenes in the franchise, and there is every likelihood that the same will be true of the latest outing, but like many Marvel cameos, it just wouldn't be the same without him. In the video, Stallone shares a behind-the-scenes look at one of the impressive pieces of technology that is used to create digital versions of the actors.

In his post, the actor wrote, "For those interested [in] what goes on behind the scenes for filmmaking. Here's just a very small part of it. Face duplication." He gives a good look at the dome of cameras and flashes which is used to capture "every expression you could possibly have" in order to "be duplicated if you're not around." A process that would have previously taken hours to complete is seen being done in less than five seconds in a second video, in which the actor stands in a blaze of camera flashes and snapping, which will give the production team the images they need to develop a digital version of his character. As Stallone notes, "moviemaking has definitely become a science."

Of course when it comes to the fantastical settings of many Marvel movies, there are numerous scenes that simply cannot be completed by the actors, even with the use of green screens and rigs. Having the ability to digitally recreate a character is something that, while not new and with a similar on screen result as seen in the likes of The Lord of the Rings twenty years ago, has become much easier and less time consuming to create for those working behind the scenes.

Last month Stallone confirmed that he had completed his filming on The Expendables 4, which does not rely on much digital recreation and a lot of stunt work and pyrotechnics, and also revealed that he is now done with the Expendables franchise, handing it over to the capable hands of Jason Statham to lead any future sequels. With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 also seemingly being the final movie of this franchise, at least with this particular line up of Guardians, it is probably going to be Stallone's last foray into the Marvel Universe as well. However, his return to the series also brings him back under the direction of James Gunn, who he worked with when voicing King Shark in Gunn's DC movie, The Suicide Squad.

The Guardians of the Galaxy will return first in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on Disney+, before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 arrives in movie theaters on May 5th, 2023.