Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 production put on hold as Marvel, Disney search for James Gunn's replacement

The production of  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3  has currently been put on hold temporarily as Marvel and Disney are regrouping on the project, reports  The Hollywood Reporter . The crew members, who were at the point of time preparing for pre-production, have been dismissed and asked to look for other work available.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 was initially to be helmed by James Gunn and was scheduled to begin principal photography in winter, in either January or February. The crew was scheduled to prepare for pre-production in the fall. However, in July 2018, there were certain tweets of Gunn that  resurfaced  which discussed his political affiliations. That was a controversial space for the project to be in. There was still hope that Gunn would be able to make the project but a mid-August meeting with Disney chairman Alan Horn confirmed that would not be the case.

Featuring Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista and Zoe Saldana, Guardians of the Galaxy franchise has been considerably popular for the studios in the past, grossing over $1.6 billion.

While the two production houses look for another helmer, certain names seem more probable than the other. The report adds  Thor: Ragnarok  director Taika Waititi recently had a meeting with Marvel but the purpose was vague, as to which project was discussed.

Gunn’s removal brought in dissatisfaction within the  cast  as well, who in an open letter, stated that they want Gunn back on the project.