James Gunn understands the art of making a trilogy and is also well aware of the fact there are merely a handful of trilogies that happen to be executed in a truly phenomenal way. And he wants Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to be amongst those few great ones.
Although the co-chief of DC is ready to take his leave from Marvel Studios post the third installment of Guardians of the Galaxy, he is just as thrilled about the upcoming MCU film and put in just as much blood and sweat while making it. And it makes sense that the filmmaker would put such colossal efforts into this particular Marvel project, not only because he’d want to leave the superhero franchise with a blast but also because he wants it to be as much of a success as the epic Lord of the Rings trilogy. Clearly, the sky is the limit for James Gunn.
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James Gunn Wants Guardians of the Galaxy to be A Successful Trilogy
Sure there are plenty of trilogies to exist in Hollywood, but only a few of them have been able to garner critical acclamation and genuine recognition. And James Gunn is adamant about having Guardians of the Galaxy claim one of the top spots in that list of phenomenal trilogies.
Speaking to EW, the Peacemaker director pointed out the importance of serving the audience with a good trilogy, something which the film industry seems to be rather deficient in.
“The amount of good third episodes in a trilogy, I can count them on one hand. Basically, there’s the Before Sunrise series. Lord of the Rings. Maybe Spider-Man. But there’s just not too many good third ones.”
Talking about his upcoming and final Marvel movie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Gunn remarked that although the writing for it was a prolonged and tenuous job as compared to the first two parts, the central reason why he didn’t rush it was because he wanted to do justice by it.
“This is the big one. This is where things really happen. This is where we get to know the truth about who these characters are, and we face the biggest stakes.”
Given how the third volume in the Guardians franchise is going to be culminating the first two, a powerful and successful delivery of the final film is naturally, as Gunn said, of the utmost value.
Why James Gunn Returned for A Third Guardians of the Galaxy Film
While the first movie was a massive hit and the second managed to gross even more profit than its predecessor, Gunn just knew that the story of the Guardians was still incomplete. He felt this was especially true for one particular character as he explained how he felt the burning need “to tell Rocket’s story” with the third movie.
The Suicide Squad director admits that there are various aspects to be considered while making a trilogy and that the same applied to the Guardians series as well. But one of the main reasons why he wanted to make Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was because Bradley Cooper‘s cunning weapon specialist Rocket Raccoon’s story needed to be narrated to the audience in a more conclusive way.
“One of the reasons why I came back to [make] this movie was because I felt like I needed to tell Rocket’s story. I would’ve been very sad not to complete the trilogy for many reasons, but I just feel very connected to Rocket. I feel like nobody would be able to tell his full story if it wasn’t me.”
Gunn even admitted that Rocket is a personal favorite of his, a character, that for the writer-director “exemplifies a lot of the traits of all the Guardians,” a quality that sets him apart from the rest of the superhero team whilst also making him a sort of binding agent.
So, even though the 56-year-old filmmaker will be leaving Marvel Studios for good after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, there is plenty of consolation in knowing that he will be leaving with one hell of a bang with this film.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 releases in cinemas on May 5, 2023.
Source: EW
