The filmmaker took to Facebook to announce he will complete the trilogy he began with 2014's "Guardians of the Galaxy."

James Gunn is set to return to write and helm “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” The filmmaker broke the news Monday via Facebook, where he explained that before taking on the directing of the third installment of the Marvel superhero film, he “needed to know it was, in my heart, what I truly felt called to do. There is a history in Hollywood of haphazard endings to trilogies, and I didn’t want to become a part of that dishonorable tradition of pretending the third one doesn’t exist. I couldn’t do it for the money, and I couldn’t do it because it was what other people wanted me to do. I needed to do it because it was what I needed to do. I have never made choices in my career based on anything other than passion and love for the stories and characters, and I didn’t want to start now.”

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Instead of saving the news for a “random” interview during the press junket for the upcoming “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” which opens in theaters May 5, the director wanted to share the news first with the “incredibly supportive and enthusiastic” fans of the film. “So, yes, I’m returning to write and direct ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,'” Gunn wrote. “In the end, my love for Rocket, Groot, Gamora, Star-Lord, Yondu, Mantis, Drax, and Nebula — and some of the other forthcoming heroes — goes deeper than you guys can possibly imagine, and I feel they have more adventures to go on and things to learn about themselves and the wonderful and sometimes terrifying universe we all inhabit. And, like in both ‘Vol. 1’ and ‘Vol. 2,’ we will work on creating the story that goes beyond what you expect.”

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As for the storyline of the film, he wrote, “Much of what’s happened in the MCU for the past ten or so years has been leading, in a big way, to the ‘Avengers’ Infinity War.’ ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ will happen after all that. It will conclude the story of this iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and help catapult both old and new Marvel characters into the next ten years and beyond. I will be working side-by-side with Kevin Feige and the gang to help design where these stories go, and make sure the future of the Marvel Cosmic Universe is as special and authentic and magical as what we have created so far.” Read

Gunn’s complete statement below.

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