Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is finally coming to cinemas this May after a long wait for Marvel fans, and we even have the first trailer to enjoy.
Following the release of the Holiday Special in late November 2022, Marvel unveiled the trailer for Vol 3. It gave us our first look at Adam Warlock and also teased an emotional end to the trilogy.
The Holiday Special revealed some changes to the team since we last saw them as they now live in Knowhere – which they bought from the Collector – they've got a new ship called the Bowie and they also now hang out with adorable telekinetic dog Cosmo.
But what else can we expect from the threequel? Here's everything you need to know about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3.
Guardians of the Galaxy 3 release date: When is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 released?
We've had to wait longer than expected, but Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 will finally be released in cinemas on May 5, 2023.
The movie filmed from November 2021 to May 2022 and to make the most of the sets, the Holiday Special – which you can watch right now on Disney+ – was filmed at the same time and is set between Thor: Love and Thunder and the third movie.
The threequel has actually already set a new world record with its filming as it surpassed The Grinch for "the most make-up appliances created for a single production". Impressive.
Guardians of the Galaxy 3 trailer: Watch the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 trailer here!
As mentioned above, the first trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 was released on December 1, 2022, following its exclusive debut at Comic-Con in July.
If you missed it above, check it out below:
Guardians of the Galaxy 3 cast: Who's back in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3?
We'll see Chris Pratt return as Star-Lord, Dave Bautista as Drax, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Vin Diesel as Groot and Pom Klementieff as Mantis. After the events of Avengers: Endgame, we'll also be seeing Zoe Saldaña as Gamora again.
Saldaña has said she'd want to "explore a bad Gamora" in the third Guardians movie, which in the trailer footage seems less like a villainous arc and more of an unempathetic one. She has also been teasing the threequel's story, and it sounds like we'll need tissues.
"There's a lot of melancholy here, but also pride that we've achieved something great. James Gunn has written a beautiful story, that's making us emotional even as we shoot it," she noted.
She added in October 2022 that it was a "very sweet departure" which hopefully means a happy ending. The trailer confirmed that the 'new' Gamora has joined the Ravagers since the last time we saw her.
Sean Gunn is back as Kraglin, Yondu's one-time Ravager pal, and Elizabeth Debicki could also return as Ayesha, with the star up for a return.
"I would love [to], even if I just sort of scooch on for a second. I mean, I would love to come back," she said. In the second movie, she was seen with Adam Warlock (more on him shortly), but the trailer didn't show her return.
Sylvester Stallone's Stakar is back as well, so that could signal a return for his fellow Ravagers: Aleta Ogord (Michelle Yeoh), Charlie-27 (Ving Rhames), Mainframe (voiced by Miley Cyrus) and Martinex (Michael Rosenbaum) in the MCU's future.
New to the cast are Will Poulter as Adam Warlock, making his official debut after being teased in one of Guardians Vol 2's credits scenes, Peacemaker star Chukwudi Iwuji as the High Evolutionary, while Daniela Melchior and Nico Santos are both in undisclosed roles.
The surprise addition to the cast was Borat 2 star Maria Bakalova as Cosmo the Space Dog, who was previously spotted in the Collector's museum in the first movie.
One person we definitely won't be seeing (unless it's in flashbacks) is Michael Rooker as Yondu, who sacrificed himself to save Star-Lord in the second movie.
"As I've said before, Yondu is dead and will stay dead as long as I'm involved with the Guardians," Gunn tweeted. "His death means something to people and I'm not about to diminish that."
Rooker reprised his role for the Holiday Special, but it was just in an animated flashback to his earlier days with Peter.
Guardians of the Galaxy 3 plot: What will Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 be about?
Along with the first trailer, we received the first official synopsis for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 – and it leads us to worry.
"Our beloved band of misfits are looking a bit different these days. Still reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill must rally his team around him to defend the universe and protect one of their own," it reads.
"A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them."
We've always know that the third movie would mark the end of this trilogy, and Gunn has promised that it'll serve as the "epic conclusion" to the story he began in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy.
The movie is set to bring an end to this current version of the team on screen, an energy that was certainly palpable in the footage teased at Comic-Con. Could it be Chris Pratt's final outing as Star-Lord? He's not yet ruling out an MCU return.
Thor: Love and Thunder did provide us with a bit of an idea as to what the Guardians will be up to next.
The Guardians, along with Thor, decided to respond to distress calls across the universe thanks to Gorr the God Butcher... butchering gods. Star-Lord suggests the team split up so they can best traverse the galaxy and help people.
We imagine that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 will introduce this plot point as a quick prologue to the actual story of the third movie, confirmed in the trailer to be the search for – and ultimate reunion with – Gamora, as she disappeared after the big battle with Thanos.
The trailer also confirmed we'll see more of Rocket's backstory, which makes sense given Gunn said if he hadn't gotten to do the third movie, he would have been most disappointed at not finishing Rocket's arc.
As for the other returning cast, it does seem like it's their final curtain call, with Bautista ruling out a future movie as Drax. "I mean, as far as my obligations, I've got Guardians 3, and that's probably going to be the end of Drax," he told Digital Spy.
Bautista added in January 2023 that while he's "so grateful" for the role, he won't miss everything about it.
"It was hard playing that role. The make-up process was beating me down. And 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," he reflected.
Gunn has been teasing the third movie's "pretty heavy" story, adding: "It's a heavier story, so it's an emotional process to go through." Pratt described it as a masterpiece.
It's something that Karen Gillan backed up as she said that when she read the script with Pom Klementieff, there were "full tears". "It's brilliant and it's emotional and it's funny and it's all of those things that you want," she enthused.
Let's hope the tears aren't because some of our favourite Guardians are about to die...
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is released in cinemas on May 5, 2023. You can watch the previous two movies on Disney+.
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