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

Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Zoë Saldaña and more returned for the third and final film of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise

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

However, in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, everyone's favorite band of misfit superheroes looks a little different than when fans saw them in the previous films. The Guardians are still suffering from the loss of one of their own after Gamora (played by Zoë Saldaña) 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."

Regardless of their feelings about finishing the franchise, members of the cast have plans to keep in touch. While speaking to PEOPLE at a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 special screening in May 2023, lead star Chris Pratt mentioned that the cast has a group text thread.

"It's Pom's [Klementieff] birthday today. She's down in Miami. We're a very close cast. We've all been through a lot," he explained. "James [Gunn] is one of my dearest friends, and that's the type of relationship that I will continue to foster."

"I know the text threads will keep going and stay strong. We'll be checking in on each other, like marriages and families and all the life things that happen. We'll be there for each other," he added.

From the cast to the trailers, here's everything to know about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

What is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 about?

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 teased character flashbacks, battles and classic funny banter between the Guardians. The second trailer, released in February 2023, featured Gamora, who came back to life with no memory of her relationship with Peter Quill.

Beyond that, fans had 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?

The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 cast includes plenty of familiar faces like Pratt as Star-Lord/Peter Quill, Saldaña 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 as Adam Warlock and Chukwudi Iwuji as the High Evolutionary.

While fans were glad to see Saldaña reprise her role as Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the actress shared that she won't return to the character after this film.

"I don't think this is the end for the Guardians," the actress told The Hollywood Reporter in an April 2023 interview. "It is the end for me, for Gamora."

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 replying, "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?

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 third installment is "big."

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

When was Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 released?

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 premiered in theaters 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.

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

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."

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