James Gunn on Why 'Guardians of the Galaxy 3' Was Not Announced at Comic-Con

San Diego Comic-Con brought a torrent of announcements for new Marvel projects, from anticipated films like Black Widow to brand new surprises like Blade and Thor: Love and Thunder. One film, however, was not present among the official announcements: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, whose conspicuous absence was explained shortly after by director James Gunn.

On Sunday, Gunn responded on Twitter to a fan asking about the lack of a Guardians announcement, explaining that he's working on The Suicide Squad first, however the next installment in his Marvel series will be coming.

Gunn became attached to DC Entertainment’s The Suicide Squad earlier this year, following his firing from Guardians after the emergence of years-old controversial tweets. Subsequently, following a campaign in support of him, Gunn was rehired to the film, and the production calendars for both have been tweaked to accommodate one another. If Gunn’s tweet is any indication, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will likely begin development after The Suicide Squad finishes filming in Jan. 2020.

According to ComicBook.com, reports close to the situation said:

“Gunn's return to the Guardians of the Galaxy 3 got complicated when he signed on to write and direct the Suicide Squad sequel for Warner Bros and DC....Marvel Studios has agreed to commence production on Guardians of the Galaxy 3 after Gunn completes Suicide Squad 2."

While we’re bummed to not be getting clear word on the next entry into the Guardians of the Galaxy series, we are glad that it’s still happening--and we’re planning on getting our James Gunn fix when The Suicide Squad premieres on Aug. 6, 2021.