Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 wrapped production on May 7, writer and director James Gunn has announced.
Gunn took to Twitter and Instagram to reveal the filming for the third (and final) instalment of the Guardians of the Galaxy series — part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — has come to an end.
The photo shows Gunn, 55, sitting next to the cast members of the Marvel movie, including Chris Pratt, Pom Klementieff, Gunn’s brother Sean Gunn, Karen Gillan, and Dave Bautista.
Gunn wrote in the caption, “And that’s a picture wrap on the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. I love this amazing cast [and] crew [and] their beautiful talent [and] kind souls. I’m a lucky human to have them on the journey with me for nearly a decade.”
James also teased: “And yes Zoe [Saldana] was with us, but the only picture I have with her has an unannounced actor with us!”
In a follow-up photo featuring the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 clapperboard, Gunn shared more of his thoughts: “After over 100 days of shooting [and] over 3000 shots, this is the slate for the final shot of #GotGVol3, presented to me by the camera crew. It was an easy shot of Rocket seated, 1st with [Sean Gunn], [and] then nothing there, [and] took everything in me not to break down sobbing on the spot.
“The majority of the last ten years of my life have been spent working on [and] thinking about the Guardians. I still have a long road ahead of me with VFX [and] editing, but it was still momentous to me.
“It is somewhat simple to explain to others how much I love this cast [and] crew. It is more difficult to explain how much I love these characters — that I see them as parts of myself [and] parts of those I love, [and] filming them, [and] writing their words, is a way of expressing that love.
“Again, I’ll still be working with them over the next year until release, but shooting that last shot was a reminder of the warm impermanence of life [and] love, [and] how that impermanence makes it so precious, so valuable, [and] is a good reason to be grateful for what I have right now.
“Anyway. The camera crew also stuck their hand-made camera lens caps on the back of the slate for me, which is what the second photo is. Much love to you all.”
The first two films in the series, 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy and 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 have generated total revenues of over $1.6 billion (roughly Rs. 12,400 crore) worldwide.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will premiere on May 5, 2023 in cinemas worldwide.