James Gunn and the Guardians of the Galaxy are going out in style. The final movie in the trilogy will set a new record for the longest runtime in the franchise.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 promises a proper send-off for the superhero team. Based on the first two trailers, the merry band of intergalactic misfits will embark on one final and very emotional adventure. Marvel is pulling out all the stops with the movie as it will have an extended runtime. No less than director James Gunn teased that the upcoming movie will have the longest movie runtime for the trilogy.
One fan asked the director on Instagram about the runtime of the movie and Gunn responded by confirming that the upcoming movie will be longer than Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 and Vol 2.
James gunn confirms GOTGv3 will be longer than GOTGv1&v2 from marvelstudios
To put things into context, the first Guardians of the Galaxy clocks in at 2 hours and 2 minutes. The second movie had a lengthy 2 hours and 17 minutes runtime.
Based on James Gunn’s comments, audiences can expect that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 will have a runtime somewhere in the region of 2 hours and 20 minutes to 2 hours and 30 minutes. There is a chance that Volume 3 will challenge Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s record-setting run of 2 hours and 41 minutes, which is the longest for a non-Avengers MCU film.
Marvel fans hope that the extended runtime will address some of the lingering plot points from the previous two movies as well as the events of Avengers: Endgame. The additional time may be used to explain Gamora’s return to the intergalactic team and how the High Evolutionary turned evil. The film will also be exploring Rocket Racoon’s tragic origins as well as introduce Adam Warlock to the MCU.
It is not really surprising that James Gunn would cram in as much as he can for his final MCU movie. The director was just recently appointed as co-CEO of rival DC Studios and will be in charge of the creative direction of the DC Universe.
The movie will also be a final outing for the original Guardians of the Galaxy team. Dave Bautista has openly said he won't be returning as Drax the Destroyer for future movies. Zoë Saldana has also said that she might not return as Gamora.
The intergalactic team will assemble one last time in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 which opens in theaters on May 5.
