James Gunn has said the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy will be his last.
The director has said Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, which is set to be released in May next year, is the ‘end’ for him and the rest of the team.
Gunn said that wrapping up a story that fans have followed for so many years was ‘a little bit scary’.
But before you feel too upset by the news, Gunn has also teased that the third flick will be ‘big’.
Speaking on Deadline’s Hero Nation podcast, he said: "This is the end for us, the last time people will see this team of Guardians."
He went on: "It's so, so big and dark, and different from what people might be expecting it to be.
"I just want to be true to the characters, the story and give people the wrap-up that they deserve for the story."
The movie started filming in November last year, with Gunn sharing a snap of the cast on Instagram alongside the caption: "It's been a strange & long & at times challenging journey to get here, but the obstacles along the way have only made this moment more blissful. Back on set with my Guardians family for the first day of shooting #GotGVol3.”
This is not the first time Gunn has revealed that the franchise was set to be a trilogy - back in 2017 he said: "It will conclude the story of this iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and help catapult both old and new Marvel characters into the next ten years and beyond.
"I will be working side-by-side with Kevin Feige and the gang to help design where these stories go, and make sure the future of the Marvel Cosmic Universe is as special and authentic and magical as what we have created so far."
The third instalment will see Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper and Karen Gillan all returning.
Last June, Bautista, who plays Drax, revealed that there was also a ‘holiday special’ planned.
Speaking to LADbible he said: “We were supposed to do Guardians 3 a long time ago, and we were gonna do the Christmas special then.”
He added: "I can tell you this: we're gonna start filming Guardians 3 in November this year, I believe it's gonna be a six-seven month shoot in Atlanta.
"I believe somewhere in that time, we're also gonna shoot the holiday special. But that's all I know... I'm going to play Drax, I know that."
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is scheduled for release on 5 May 2023.
Featured Image Credit: DisneyTopics: TV and Film, Marvel
Claire Reid