10 Things We Learned at the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3’ Press Conference
Moviefone attends the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3’ Global Press Conference. “I’m gonna miss these characters,” writer/director James Gunn admits.
Director James Gunn and the cast of 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' at the world premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood CA on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages.
With ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’, writer/director James Gunn brings his Marvel trilogy to a close. The next film of Marvel’s Phase 5 opens in theaters everywhere on May 5th.
When the movie opens, our beloved band of misfits are settling into life on Knowhere. But it isn’t long before their lives are upended by the echoes of Rocket’s turbulent past. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), still reeling from the loss of Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), must rally his team around him on a dangerous mission to save Rocket’s (Bradley Cooper) life — a mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians.
The film also stars Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, featuring Vin Diesel as Groot and Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Will Poulter and Maria Bakalova.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of attending the global virtual press conference for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ along with several other members of the press. In attendance were James Gunn, Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, Sean Gunn, Will Poulter, Chukwudi Iwuji, Pom Klementieff, Maria Bakalova and President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige.
Here are the 10 things we learned from the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ global virtual press conference:
1. James Gunn Will Miss Working on the Movies
Writer and director James Gunn at Los Angeles premiere of 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.'
Gunn, who is now focused on his work at DC Studios, reflected on the impact of the ‘Guardians’ trilogy.
James Gunn: I think it’s changed me in so many ways. I mean, everything I’ve learned from Kevin and Lou (executive producer Louis D’Esposito). I think also, in terms of just this family of people, I’ve been really good at hiring non-jerks. Not only non-jerks, but people who are actually positive, compassionate, loving, kind people. And so, I’ve just grown incredibly close to these people. I really love them. And it makes making movies a much more pleasant experience. So, my main memories are not going to the premieres or, you know, going on these press junkets. It’s being on set and having the little moments. It’s doing bits with Chris in between sets. It’s, talking to Sean. Watching Chuk turn in an amazing performance. Goofing around with Pom, wondering what the hell she’s talking about. I’m gonna miss the characters. That’s the saddest part for me, is I really, truly love these characters. I love all of them. I think there’s certain ones that I have a special fondness for, especially Rocket. And yeah, the saddest part of all of this. I’m gonna see all these people again. They’re all friends of mine. But I’m not gonna see the characters. I’m not gonna be writing the characters again, at least not in the near future. And so, that’s a real sadness.
2. Chris Pratt Says We Find His Character in a Bad Emotional Place
Marvel Studio's 'Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3.' Photo courtesy of Marvel.com.
Pratt talked about how Peter “Star Lord” Quill is still recovering from the losses he’s suffered.
Chris Pratt: I think, oftentimes, we find ourselves in our relationships or in the affiliations we have with a team or a family or whatever. And he has been lost. So, yeah, in the beginning, he was running away from the death of his mother, but he got to pretend to be this character based on these pop culture icons of his childhood of the late-’80s. And so, he was dancing around, but all of that was really, he had found himself there. But it was kinda B.S., you know? And then he found himself with the Guardians of the Galaxy. And then he thought he could find himself with who his father was. So, he’s a guy who’s constantly been searching for who he is. And then he found it again in his relationship with Gamora. And so, when that’s stripped away from him, he’s a guy who’s realizing that all of these various people that he’s found that are Quill, none of them have been the real him. And so, he is, he’s lost. And that probably does mean that he’s sad.
3. Kevin Feige Says ‘Vol. 3’ is Different From Other Marvel Trilogies
Kevin Feige at the world premiere of 'Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3' at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood CA on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages.
The Marvel boss explained the thinking behind the new movie.
Kevin Feige: We’ve had trilogies before. We’ve had a number of them, actually. And I was thinking, why does this feel so different and so much of a passage of some sort? And it’s because Guardians really was the first movie that was completely outside of the realm. It tied in with Thanos and Infinity Stones. But The Avengers were not in it. And we weren’t setting up Tony Stark’s next adventure, or Captain America. And it was really our attempt of saying, we don’t wanna just do superhero movies. We don’t want to just do 'Iron Man' movies or 'Avengers' movies. And we wanted to do a big space movie. And it worked in a crazy way. It worked entirely because of James Gunn. So, it just feels like this trilogy, and James writing and directing all three of them, it represents something unique within the pantheon of the MCU, that I’m very proud of.
4. Pom Klementieff Explained the Differences Between the Comic-book Mantis and the Movie Version
(L to R) Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer and Pom Klementieff as Mantis in 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.' Photo courtesy of Marvel.com.
Mantis, the emotion-and-memory manipulating character we met in 'Vol. 2' has changed a lot from the comic book version.
Pom Klementieff: I think it was so interesting to give a different version of Mantis. I mean, in the comic books, she was great, too. She was, like, very powerful. But kinda similar to a lot of other female characters in the Marvel universe or in other superhero movies. I think it was so interesting to give a different take on a female character and make it give more comedy and more awkwardness and something different.
James Gunn also talked about the character.
James Gunn: I think it’s also cool to have somebody who their superpower is empathy. It is feelings. Emotions are so important to Mantis. And we’re so used to this very male, hardcore, macho, shooting rays out of their arms, or throwing automobiles and shooting people.
5. Sean Gunn on Kraglin Finding His Place Among the Characters
Sean Gunn as Kraglin in Marvel Studios' 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.' Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 Marvel.
Related Article: Director James Gunn and Chris Pratt Talk 'Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3'
Gunn (brother to James), who plays the Ravager-turned-Guardian Kraglin, explained how his character’s journey mirrored his own.
Sean Gunn: I think that, just like all the Guardians, Kraglin had to figure out what his place in the family was. And one thing that really impresses me about the movies is how I do feel, in a way, that the journey of the cast has mirrored the journey of the characters, in a way. And that for me, being there in the first movie and feeling like, ‘oh, I’m the director’s brother and I’m here and I’m kind of on the outside.’ And Kraglin is just on the peripheral, and he comes in and says his things here and there. And then learning that, over the course of the movies, that I felt as much at home with all these people, that I felt fully accepted and a full member of the cast and of the group.
6. Kevin Feige Talked About the Challenges of the ‘Guardians’ Movies to Begin With
(L to R) Zoe Saldaña, Chris Pratt, Rocket, Dave Bautista and Groot in 'Guardians of the Galaxy.'
He was, he says, “nervous” about tackling the characters, but had faith in Gunn.
Kevin Feige: It always makes me nervous. But the goal has always been to do justice to the audience members who have loved these characters their whole lives, and to audience members who’ve never heard of these characters, or who heard of them for the first time in the trailer or in the poster. Which, for ‘Guardians’ in particular, was certainly the majority of the audience. Now on the flip side of that, there are people who go, “Well, people don’t really know the Guardians, so you really have a lot of leeway to do new things.” Which you do, but James was constantly going to the comics and constantly referring to the comics and constantly building off of the storylines. So, people who did know these characters from the more recent run at the time, or the early run, saw things they could get excited about. And just as important, people who never heard of this crazy spaceman with a tree and a raccoon.
7. Maria Bakalova Loves Playing Cosmo the Space Dog
Maria Bakalova and Cosmo the Spacedog at the world premiere of 'Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3' at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood CA on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages.
The ‘Borat’ sequel star brought the canine character to life on set via Performance Capture
Maria Bakalova: When I was auditioning for the part, I was, “How can I play this?” And it was so interesting, because you can make it be a little bit more over the top, because she’s a puppy and she has more energy. And then, when I found out that I can be on set, actually, and work with a mo-cap suit, and imagine that I’m a child again and use my imagination to be like, “Okay, today I’m going to be a dog. Tomorrow I will be a flower. The next day, I’m going to be a butterfly.” It’s interesting, we tend to forget about imagination when we grow up. And it’s been just incredible.
8. James Gunn Has A Policy for the Music in the 'Guardians' Movies
The Old 97’s in Marvel Studios' 'The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special,' exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Jessica Miglio. © 2022 Marvel.
‘Vol. 3’, like its predecessors is full of great tunes. And Gunn curates his soundtracks carefully.
James Gunn: I want to give good music to people by good bands! And I snuck a couple of favorites in there. I snuck my friends, you know, The Replacements in there. I snuck Alice Cooper, my hero, in there. When I’m writing, I put the music in along with the script. I write it in. But sometimes I change it. Sometimes on this, it was very difficult choosing the music for this movie because in the first two movies, they were basically all am ‘70s pop hits. In this one, it takes place after Yondu (Michael Rooker) gives Peter Quill a Zune at the end of the second movie. And it’s music from the ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, 2000s. I could choose from anything. So, it was very difficult because of that.
9. Pratt Would Happily Make More Movies with James Gunn
(L to R) James Gunn and Chris Pratt attend the 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood CA on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages.
While Gunn might not be making any more ‘Guardians’ films, Pratt still wants to work with him.
Chris Pratt: First of all, I’d jump at the opportunity. Making movies is really fun. When you get to do it with people that you love, it’s even more fun. That’s the journey, right? The destination, it sometimes sucks. You have this great time with all your friends, and you get together and you work hard. And then you see the movie and you’re like, “Boy, that movie sucked. But, hey, that was a lot of fun to make it.” With James, it’s been both the journey and the destination have been glorious. The films are incredible. I don’t know how he does it. And so, just selfishly, I’d be willing to deal with a terrible journey to get to this destination.
10. Karen Gillan Enjoyed Nebula’s Character Development
(L to R) Karen Gillan as Nebula and Zoe Saldaña as Gamora in 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.' Photo courtesy of Marvel.com.
Nebula has evolved from an antagonist in the original movie to a key member of the team here.
Karen Gillan: It’s been beautiful to see. Nebula was always the kind of bitter one. So jealous of Gamora. And then, she evolved and Gamora kind of helped her gain some compassion along the way. And now they’ve switched places in a way. Which has been really interesting to play around with. But yeah. It’s been really beautiful to watch their relationship evolve and become what it is. It’s been amazing.
The cast of 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' at the premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood CA on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages.
Other Movies Similar to ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3:’
- ‘Guardians of the Galaxy' (2014)
- ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' (2017)
- 'Avengers: Infinity War' (2018)
- ‘Avengers: Endgame' (2019)
- 'The Suicide Squad' (2021)
- 'The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special' (2022)
- 'Thor: Love and Thunder' (2022)
Buy Tickets: 'Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3' Movie Showtimes
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Witten and directed by James Gunn, the Sci-Fi action adventure comedy 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ is scheduled for release from Marvel Studios on May 5th 2023.
