Thor: Love And Thunder: Is James Gunn Working On The Guardians With Taika Waititi?

Star-Lord, Rocket, and Thor in Avengers: Endgame

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The wait for Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has made longer thanks to movie delays, but there are a number of additional projects currently in the works. One of the most hotly anticipated is Taika Waititi's Thor: Love and Thunder, which recently kicked off production down under. There are number of exciting concepts in the upcoming blockbuster, including an appearance by the Guardians of the Galaxy. And with that motley crew appearing in the upcoming sequel, fans are left wondering if filmmaker James Gunn is involved.

James Gunn became a household name thanks to his work on the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. He took a relatively unknown group of heroes and quickly made them fan favorites, with much of the success coming from Gunn's unique take on movies, music, and comedy. The filmmaker was recently asked if he's going to be collaborating with Taika Waititi for Thor: Love and Thunder, to which he said:

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Well, that's certainly reassuring. While James Gunn has indeed been helping to bring the Guardians to the Thor franchise in Love and Thunder, he's also got complete faith in Taika Waititi. Considering the latter filmmaker's recent Oscar win for Jojo Rabbit, who can blame Gunn for this trust in Waititi's filmmaking capabilities?

James Gunn's comments come from the filmmaker's personal Twitter page, and are sure to thrill Guardians of the Galaxy fans out there. Gunn is very generous with fans on social media, often using it to communicate directly with the public about his comic book blockbusters. And the latest update reveals that he is indeed working with Taika Waititi on Thor: Love and Thunder.

Both Thor and The Guardians' time in the MCU are currently streaming on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

It's currently unclear how much we should expect the Guardians of the Galaxy to appear throughout the course of Thor: Love and Thunder. Their inclusion makes a great deal of sense, as Avengers: Endgame ended with Chris Hemsworth's God of Thunder leaving with the group aboard their ship, The Benatar. Star-Lord and Thor argued about who was boss, while they left for destinations unknown in search of Gamora.

Of course, the story of Thor: Love and Thunder will also presumably head back to Earth at some point. Taika Watiti will be welcoming Natalie Portman's Jane Foster back to the MCU, and she'll transform into Mighty Thor in the process. There are a ton of characters for Waititi to service, so smart money says the Guardians won't be present throughout the entire movie's runtime.

Following their appearance on the fourth Thor movie, James Gunn's signature group of Marvel heroes will appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The timeline on that project is currently unclear, as the filmmaker is currently focused on The Suicide Squad for DC. But considering the massive popularity of the Guardians, hopefully production will begin sooner rather than later.

Thor: Love and Thunder is currently expected to hit theaters on May 6th, 2022. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your next movie experience.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.