'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3': Everything to Know

Marvel Studios

Buckle up, Marvel fans — the Guardians are about to save the galaxy once again.

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, however, everyone's favorite band of misfit superheroes looks a little different than when fans saw them last. The Guardians are still suffering from the loss of one of their own after Gamora (played by Zoë Saldana) sacrificed herself in the 2018 film Avengers: Infinity War, while other characters like Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Nebula (Karen Gillian) are now an official part of the Guardian gang.

The cast wrapped filming in May 2022 and director James Gunn confirmed that after 8 years of Guardians movies (Vol. 1 premiered in 2014), Vol. 3 will be the final installment of the franchise. "I love this amazing cast & crew & their beautiful talent & kind souls. I'm a lucky human to have them on the journey with me for nearly a decade," he wrote on Instagram.

While Gunn may be sad to say goodbye to Guardians, at least one member of the team is ready to move on. Dave Bautista, who plays Drax, admitted that filming was often difficult. "I'm so grateful for Drax. I love him. But there's a relief [that it's over]. It wasn't all pleasant," he said in an interview with GQ Hype. "It was hard playing that role. The makeup process was beating me down."

"And," the former wrestler added, "I just don't know if I want Drax to be my legacy — it's a silly performance, and I want to do more dramatic stuff."

From the synopsis to the release date, here's everything to know about the long-awaited Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

What is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 about?

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The official synopsis for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 says Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is "still reeling from the loss of Gamora" (which happened in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War). However, he "must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them."

The film's first official trailer, which was released in December 2022, also teases character flashbacks, battles and classic funny banter between the Guardians. The second trailer, released in February 2023, features Gamora, who has come back to life with no memory of her relationship with Peter Quill.

Beyond that, fans will need to wait until opening day to get more specific story details — but Marvel likes it that way. Saldana admitted that working with Marvel can sometimes be tough because of its strict protocols for preventing leaks. She explained that, on occasion, she's gotten scripts just hours ahead of shooting.

"That can be annoying sometimes," she said in an interview for InStyle's Winter 2022 digital issue. "That's not cool, because you have to memorize, you have to prepare, you have to do research. And I tend to take myself a little too seriously sometimes."

Who is in the cast?

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The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 cast includes plenty of familiar faces like Pratt as Star-Lord/Peter Quill, Saldana as Gamora, Bautista as Drax, Gillan as Nebula, Klementieff as Mantis, Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket and Sean Gunn (brother of director James Gunn) as Kraglin Obfonteri. New cast members include Will Poulter asAdam Warlock and Chukwudi Iwuji as the High Evolutionary.

Is there an official trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?

The first trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 dropped on Dec. 1, 2022.

It begins with Pratt's Peter Quill saying, "We were gone for quite a while. But no matter what happens next, the galaxy still needs its Guardians."

He later says, "We've been running our whole lives," to which Cooper's Rocket replies, "Pete, I'm done running," as he loads a gun.

The trailer is equal parts action-packed, emotional and comedic — a formula that has become a staple for the franchise.

A second trailer debuted during the Super Bowl in February 2023. The clip dropped new hints of the movie's plot, including the return of Gamora, who is brought back to life with no memory of her and Peter Quill's romantic history. "I'm Star-Lord," Pratt says in the trailer. "I formed the Guardians. Met a girl, fell in love. That girl died. But then she came back..."

He then adds: "And she came back a total d---."

The trailer also showed scenes of the Guardians in epic fight scenes against villains Adam Warlock and the High Evolutionary.

Who directed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?

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James Gunn directed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. He also directed the first and second films in the trilogy.

Speaking on Deadline's Hero Nation podcast in January 2022, Gunn admitted the upcoming movie is "big."

"It's so, so big and dark, and different from what people might be expecting it to be," he said.

When will Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 be released?

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will premiere in theatres on May 5, 2023.

Fans can stream the first and second installments of the movie series, as well the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, on Disney+ now.

Will Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 be the last movie in the Guardians franchise?

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In January 2022, Gunn revealed that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the third and final movie of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.

"This is the end for us, the last time people will see this team of Guardians," Gunn said on  Deadline's Hero Nation podcast.

The director added, "I'm aware that the third film in most trilogies sucks," before saying that was "not always" the case. "I just want to be true to the characters, the story and give people the wrap-up that they deserve for the story."