Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3': Release Date, Cast, and Everything We Know So Far About the Final Film in the Trilogy.

It's the end of the Guardians as we know them.

It's hard to believe that James Gunn's (The Suicide Squad) third and final Guardians of the Galaxy film almost wasn't going to happen. While Marvel certainly was going to keep the characters around for many films to come, Gunn's vision for a trilogy was put in jeopardy when he was fired for a controversy revolving around some controversial jokes made on Twitter. The ten-year-old tweets were problematic and inappropriate for sure, but they weren't necessarily malicious, and it didn't take long for both Guardians fans and even the cast and crew themselves to show support for Gunn and lobby for his return to finish what he started. Thankfully they succeeded in their goal, and James Gunn was brought back aboard to make Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

The galaxy's favorite band of misfits has been through quite a bit since we last saw them. Since the original 2014 film, the gang has fought a living planet, had most of the team turn to dust after Thanos' (Josh Brolin) Snap before being brought back to fight the Mad Titan's forces, and even embarked on a few adventures with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) himself. Their almost ten-year-long journey has turned the unique group of characters from virtual unknowns into beloved fan favorites and a crown jewel of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Marvel fans have been eagerly awaiting the return of the Guardians in their own feature film, and thankfully the wait won't be too much longer. At Marvel's marvelous San Diego Comic-Con 2022 panel, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, James Gunn, and the rest of the cast revealed some crucial details and even an exclusive first look at the anticipated new film. The impressive presentation answered quite a few questions we've all had, including the release date, the characters we'll get to see, and the tone that we can expect. To find out all these details plus many more, simply read below to find out everything we know so far about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Is There a Trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?

Vol. 3 that screened for the lucky few inside Hall H at SDCC has not yet been posted online. This makes sense given that the film is still in active production and still has a ways to go before its release date, so fans will have to be patient to see the trailer that brought the cast present at SDCC to tears. If the trend for Marvel's release trailers continues, we'll likely see the first footage for Vol. 3 go public roughly a month or two before the theatrical release of Ant-Man: Qunatumania (2023). If you're just itching to hear about what the trailer had in store, don't worry, as we did get to see it in Hall H and can provide details of what the footage contains.

The teaser opens up with Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), AKA Star-Lord, and Nebula (Karen Gillan) having an encounter with a group of Ravagers, where Quill is shocked to discover that his beloved Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) is leading the group of space pirates. However, this is not the girlfriend that Quill knows, as the Gamora from his timeline was killed by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. The Gamora in Vol. 3 is from an alternate timeline where she had yet to meet Quill and was brought to the main MCU universe by her universe's Thanos. While Thanos and the rest of his forces were snapped out of existence, Gamora was the sole survivor, disappearing to go and find her place in this strange new dimension. The trailer continues with Quill trying to convince a reluctant Gamora of the life they used to have pre-Infinity War.

Shortly after, in true Guardians of the Galaxy fashion, a catchy tune accompanies the trailer, but it's something a bit more modern than the 70s/80s fare that we've heard in the previous films. The song in question is "Do You Realize", performed by The Flaming Lips and released somewhat recently in 2002. Gunn explained the music choice by saying it was meant to represent that the team has "matured" so we may be hearing more contemporary tracks when the film releases.

Peter and Gamora of course aren't the only ones who get some time in the trailer, as there are some new faces who make brief appearances. We get our first good look at Sovereign creation Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), the horrifying new villain that is the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), and an even more grown-up and extremely buff version of Groot (Vin Diesel), whom we got a glimpse of in the trailer for The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022).

The overall tone presented in the trailer is much darker and far more emotional than anyone could have possibly expected, with many characters being shown in brief shots where they seem to be in a place of great anguish or sadness. One major plot point, in particular, that seems to have a big presence in the film is the backstory of Rocket (Bradley Cooper), as evidenced by appearances from both a baby version of Rocket and a child version of him. Presumably, his sensitive and traumatic past will be just one element of a film that is promised to be one of the most emotional entries in the entire MCU.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be dancing its way into cinemas next year for the Summer blockbuster season, more specifically on Friday, May 5, 2023. This will make the third Guardians installment the second film in the MCU's busy Phase 5 schedule; the halfway point of the Multiverse Saga.

When and Where Will Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 be Streaming?

Vol. 3 will almost certainly be streaming on Disney+ after it premieres in theaters. If the pattern of Marvel's Disney+ releases continues, we can realistically expect to see the film on the streaming platform roughly a month and a half after May 5, 2023.

Who Is Making Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?

The next few years are practically guaranteed to be the biggest years thus far in James Gunn's comic book movie career. Not only has Gunn been busy with projects from Marvel's biggest rival, DC, working on hits like The Suicide Squad (2021) and its spin-off series Peacemaker (which has already been greenlit for a second season), Gunn has now been named co-head of DC Comics' entire film and television division, virtually giving Gunn full creative control over the cinematic future for the home of Batman, Superman, and more. Gunn seemingly had always planned for the third Guardians of the Galaxy film to be his swan song, providing even more evidence that this will serve as his emotionally fulfilling farewell to the MCU.

Kevin Feige of course will be overseeing production as executive producer and Gunn will be joined by many of his former cohorts to fill out the department head roles. Rejoining Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) are cinematographer Henry Braham and editor Fred Raskin, while he'll also be teaming up with his The Suicide Squad peers, composer John Murphy, and production designer Beth Mickle.

Fans can expect to see all the original team members return along with their corresponding cast members. These include Chris Pratt (Jurassic World: Dominion) as Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana (Avatar: The Way of Water) as Gamora, Dave Bautista (The Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) as Drax, Bradley Cooper (Nightmare Alley) as Rocket, Vin Diesel (F9: The Fast Saga) as Groot, Karen Gillan (The Bubble) as Nebula, Pom Klementieff (Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning - Part 1) as Mantis, and Sean Gunn (The Suicide Squad) as Kraglin. They won't be the only returning cast members returning either, as Vol. 2 alums will feature Sylvester Stallone (Tulsa King) as the Ravager leader Stakar and Elizabeth Debicki (The Crown) as the vengeful Sovereign queen Ayesha. We also may see some members of Stakar's old-school Guardians team show up after their end credits scene in Vol. 2, which last time consisted of Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Aleta Ogord, Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville) as Martinex, Ving Rhames (Wendell & Wild) as Charlie-27, Miley Cyrus (Black Mirror) as Mainframe, and a silent alien sorcerer named Krugarr.

We already mentioned that Will Poulter (Midsommar) will be bringing fan-favorite comic guardian Adam Warlock and Peacemaker star Chukwudi Iwuji will be the main source of villainous charm as the High Evolutionary. The film will also feature a character we've seen before, but haven't heard until now. That character is Cosmo the Space Dog, who had a brief cameo in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film and will be voiced in the third film by the breakout star of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020), Maria Bakalova. Finally, another James Gunn veteran will be joining the cast with The Suicide Squad's own Ratcatcher 2, Daniela Melchior, playing a yet-to-be-named character in the constantly expanding Marvel universe.