Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director James Gunn and stars emotionally reflect on finale; Gunn teases future DC projects with the cast

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director James Gunn and the cast gathered at the film’s Los Angeles premiere on Thursday and gave an emotional send-off for the trilogy. The director also offered hints at what’s next in store for the Guardians cast in the world of DC.

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, at the film’s Los Angeles premiere on Thursday, Chris Pratt recalled advice from his director-friend Gunn on their first Marvel red carpet together in 2014. “I remember the first premiere, some eight years ago, I was so nervous,” Pratt shared.

He continued, “James came up to me and said, ‘Just have fun. Tonight is our night to celebrate, have fun.’ He could tell I was uncomfortable. And that’s what I’m really doing. I’m embracing that. I’m having fun, I’m celebrating. And it is, it’s our night. The work is pretty much done, and now we get to have that great moment of audience members laughing, crying and taking in the film… It’s a dream come true.”

At the #GotGVol3 premiere, @prattprattpratt discussed the closing chapter for the Guardians and what’s next for #StarLord pic.twitter.com/SKfexUswkT

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) April 28, 2023

Having taken the chief position at DC Studios last year, alongside co-head Peter Safran, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 marks Gunn’s final Marvel project as he gears up to launch his creative endeavors at DC. “I’ve learned so much,” Gunn shared.

“My movie before Guardians cost $3 million to make,” he added. “I’ve learned a lot about the process of storytelling. I’ve learned a lot about working within a connected universe. And I’ve learned a lot about working hard on films that maybe work well, or maybe don’t work so well, and trying to make them better in post-production.”

Before wrapping up his tenure at Marvel, Gunn hinted at his plans of bringing his Guardians cast members, particularly Pom Klementieff, to his upcoming DC projects. “We’re gonna work together again,” Klementieff said of joining Gunn at DC. “We’ve been talking about it.”

.@PomKlementieff remembers her time as a member of the #GuardiansOfTheGalaxy at the world premiere of #GotGVol3 pic.twitter.com/EyS7FbSaaS

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) April 28, 2023

Meanwhile, Marvel newcomer Maria Bakalova – who first appeared in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special – also expressed her willingness to work on a DC project if Gunn asks her to. “If James Gunn asked me to do something professionally, I will do whatever it takes,” the Borat Subsequent Moviefilm actress confirmed. “I admire his work. I think he’s genius, and he’s honestly one of the greatest human beings on the planet.”

Maria Bakalova feels sure that audiences will love her character #CosmoTheSpaceDog in #GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 pic.twitter.com/1ZrqukWtHe

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) April 28, 2023

On the other hand, Karen Gillan, who plays Nebula in the franchise, called the movies “quite a bonding experience,” while Sean Gunn, who plays Kraglin, said it’s “very bittersweet” adding, “It’s always sad to have an ending of sorts. I love the people that I work with so much on these movies, and I love collaborating with them creatively. But that’s the fruits of the labor.”

At the world premiere, #Nebula star @KarenGillan shares what she’ll miss most about James Gunn’s #GuardiansOfTheGalaxy pic.twitter.com/OxFAZ1AAni

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) April 28, 2023

He continued, “As artists, we come together, and we collaborate to try to make something special, so being able to share that with an audience should always be an occasion for joy. It’s definitely mostly a joyful moment for me right now, but I’ll shed some tears later.”

.@SeanGunn compares playing #RocketGG to playing #Kraglin in #GuardiansOfTheGalaxy pic.twitter.com/jVytzuOOjk

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) April 28, 2023

“It was so emotional,” added Klementieff. “We were like, ‘Oh my God, this is the last time that we’ll maybe shoot together as the Guardians… It felt like something was ending in some way. It was beautiful to be able to have these feelings. In Hollywood, it’s not always the case.”

Speaking of Pratt’s future in the MCU, the actor said, “You can always see Star-Lord again on Disney+. You’re gonna always see Star-Lord. I’ll be dead and gone one day, and Star-Lord is still gonna be out there. Will you see him in new stories? I don’t know. I’m open to it. We’ll see.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 arrives in theaters May 5, 2023.

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