A reliable source has dropped a nice look into the future of Marvel films, filling in the blank on one of their upcoming Phase 3 films and it might surprise you. Now, this news may not drop your jaw to the floor, so keep your expectations in check. It is, however, an interesting choice when you consider all the other avenues the studio could go. The first film to kick off Phase 3 is Edgar Wright's ANT-MAN, which opens on July 17, 2015. Additionally, Marvel has dates set aside for at least two of their other Phase 3 films, that being May 6, 2016 and May 5, 2017, but with no titles announced...yet.

The thought (hope?) of many die-hard fans is that those two would be DR. STRANGE and BLACK PANTHER, but our source is here to burst your bubble. Or not, depending on how you look at it. Because even with this news, there's still room for two more films that we DON'T know of in the Phase 3 agenda, which could very well be the aforementioned titles (or possibly, with recent announcements, CAPTAIN AMERICA or THOR's threequel).

However, we've learned that the film currently on slate for the May 6, 2016 (EDIT: source has clarified it will be sometime in 2016...not necessarily on May 6, 2016) date is...

...GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2! (or whatever subtitle they give it).

You may have heard rumblings of a GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY animated series as well, which we can also confirm. The series is aiming for a Fall 2015 debut on Disney XD, which would segue nicely into a sequel to the film the following year (especially with an established audience). Shocked by this? Don't be. Those that have seen the Comic Con footage of the film can attest to how badass the flick looks and I'm pretty sure Marvel knows it as well. You certainly wouldn't bank a sequel and an animated series on something that was less than a sure thing. I suppose there's potential for the film to bomb, but with everyone rallying behind what James Gunn and the cast/crew have done with next summer's debut, it seems like a slam dunk. Personally, I think it looks fantastic and that's just from seeing the tossed together SDCC stuff. I can only imagine what the finished product will look like and that gets me all kind of excited.

So, there it is. Take it as rumor, fact, speculation, whatever, but that's the word from our wire. With Marvel Studio's Kevin Feige saying they've got plans all the way up to 2021 for the Marvel Cinematic Universe there's A LOT of room for speculation, hope, and some fun chatter about what could be and what will be, so feel free to jump into the conversation and let us know what you think!

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY kicks off on August 1, 2014.