James Gunn, who directed both Guardians of the Galaxy 3 next.
The director, whose writing credits include the The Suicide Squad, which is still in post-production.
Now, Gunn has taken to Instagram to respond to a fan who asked whether Guardians of the Galaxy would be the last film in the franchise. Gunn says that it will "probably" be the last Guardians film he directs and will also "probably be the last with the current team" but also cautions that "you never know." Gunn doesn't mention which characters from the Marvel Universe would take over in a possible Guardians of the Galaxy 4, but there are certainly many options for Disney to choose from. Check out Gunn's response on his Instagram story, below.
While Gunn doesn't commit himself to anything, it's clear he believes the narrative arc of the current Guardians team will be complete by the end of the third film. As Gunn wrote the trilogy, he's likely chosen to wrap up the story of the current Guardians team in his trilogy closer. It makes sense to do so, especially if he's decided to bow out of the franchise after three movies. That piece of news is also interesting, given that Gunn has very publicly been the main driving force behind the franchise. However, it also points to Gunn wanting to explore other worlds, and perhaps spend time working on original ideas. He will, after all, have been involved in the MCU for close to a decade by the time Guardians of the Galaxy 3 reaches theaters.
Gunn's final comment, though, also points to the fact that Marvel and Disney may have their own ideas for Guardians of the Galaxy 4 and could, of course, hire another filmmaker to continue the story of Peter Quill, Rocket, Groot, Drax, Gamora, Nebula and Mantis. Whatever happens, it's clear that Gunn's intention, at least at this point in time, is to finish the trilogy and move on.
Source: James Gunn