James Gunn has confirmed that another Guardians of the Galaxy film could be in the works – this time focused on Star-Lord (Chris Pratt).
With the release of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (2023), Marvel officially gave everyone’s favorite group of ragtag superheroes in space the farewell they deserved. While the film (spoiler alert) ended with its eponymous group going their separate ways, the post-credits made a surprising confirmation: that “the legendary Star-Lord will return.”
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This came as a surprise to fans. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 marked writer and director James Gunn’s farewell to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since being hired as the co-CEO and co-chairman of DC Studios in 2022, his focus is now very much on the other superheroes, with Superman: Legacy (2025) – which he is also writing and directing – kicking off a cinematic reset for DC Comics.
With Gunn’s departure, several other members of the Guardians team have announced their Marvel goodbye. Dave Bautista (Drax), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), and Bradley Cooper (Rocket) have all revealed that they have no plans to return to the MCU now that Gunn’s rounded off their characters’ stories.
However, Gunn has just confirmed Chris Pratt’s return – as well as some details about a standalone Star-Lord film.
In audio commentary featured on the Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 digital release, Gunn confirmed story ideas for the film, stating that it would revolve around “Star-Lord trying to adapt to the environment of Earth.”
Starting by saying that Star-Lord’s story is “not quite over,” Gunn said: “We always want to give somebody a little something special. And Chris and I, forever, have talked about how great it would be to be able to do a ‘Legendary Star-Lord’ movie, a story with Star-Lord on Earth trying to adapt to the environment of Earth in the same way that somebody else might try to adapt to the alien environment of outer space. He’s a fish out of water in just kind of regular water. So I can’t wait to see it.”
The final post-credits scene of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 saw Star-Lord (AKA Peter Quill) back on earth, having decided to face his past traumas and return to see his grandfather for the first time in over 30 years.
While it’s great to hear that plans are still in motion for more Star-Lord, it appears that Gunn definitely (despite our greatest hopes) won’t be involved. If he “can’t wait to see it,” that more or less means that he won’t have anything to do with its production process and James Gunn is now just another Guardians of the Galaxy fan like us.
However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If a Star-Lord standalone film is meant to show him as “a fish out of water,” then what better way to set it apart tonally than to hand over the reins of Guardians of the Galaxy to a different creative lead?
Quill’s time in space was all about living through his childhood fantasies. From the names for his ships inspired by childhood crushes such as Alyssa Milano, to his own Footloose (1984) and Knight Rider-influenced escapades, he was always trying to escape his life on earth while also integrating it into a whole other life that he wasn’t really supposed to lead.
Going in a completely different creative direction is the best way to handle a Star-Lord spinoff. Now that the original lineup has disbanded, Gunn doesn’t need to be there to maintain the same tone. Yes, Gunn’s touches should remain – but for this standalone film to succeed as a realistic depiction of Quill in a totally different life, it needs another voice behind the camera.
Would you like to see another Guardians of the Galaxy film? Let us know your hopes in the comments!