As of now, there's nothing to suggest that Superman director James Gunn doesn't intend to remain in charge of the DCU for the foreseeable future. Things could change when Paramount Skydance completes its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, but that's likely still years away.
That closes the door on Gunn returning to the MCU for the foreseeable future, meaning a different writer and director will potentially be tasked with continuing the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.
CBR was recently in attendance at the Emerald City Comic-Con, where Michael Rooker (Yondu), Sean Gunn (Kraglin), and Pom Klementieff (Mantis) were all on hand to discuss a possible Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4 from Marvel Studios.
"I don't know," Klementieff started. "We never talked about a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4. It was always imagined as a trilogy."
Gunn, who has since joined the DCU as multiple characters, including G.I. Robot and Maxwell Lord, weighed in to say, "In some ways, it's almost like a little above my pay grade. It's like, if they decide to do it, if they decide that they can put the pieces together and get the right cast, and get a script that they really like and that works, then it would depend on who wrote that script and who was putting it together."
"And by that point, there would probably already be somebody who was part of it, so I don't know," he continued, clearly unsure of whether he'd continue playing Kraglin—and the on-set Rocket—without his brother calling the shots.
Yondu is dead and gone, of course, but returned for The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special for a flashback following his Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 send-off.
"The third one was incredible, but also heartbreaking because we knew it would be the last one, so it's really special that way," Rooker mused. "The Christmas special was so fun to shoot, so I just loved it so much."
"Thank goodness it didn't go on further. It would become like The Walking Dead," he said of the series that expanded with multiple spin-offs. "Please, enough already."
Klementieff later shared her belief that Guardians of the Galaxy's characters "could still appear in another movie as well," pointing to the Avengers franchise as what could "maybe like a big universe-bending crossover."
It's hard to believe that the door is closed on the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, even if Gunn has left some pretty big shoes to fill. Vol. 3 wrapped up by promising that the Legendary Star-Lord, at least, would return, but when and where Chris Pratt will reprise the role still isn't clear.
With rumours swirling that Nova and Annihilus will be introduced in the MCU's next Saga, chances are the Guardians will be among those who assemble to face down the threat of the Annihilation Wave.
Who would you like to see at the helm of another Guardians of the Galaxy movie?