While Marvel Studios has stayed noticeably mum about anything happening with “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” after the unceremonious firing of writer-director James Gunn, it appears that the folks behind the scenes could be looking to get the franchise going again soon.
According to a new rumor from DisInsider, Marvel Studios and Disney have their sights set on Travis Knight as a possible replacement for the ousted Gunn. Knight is probably best known for his directorial debut on “Kubo and the Two Strings,” but is about to have his first live-action film debut this Christmas with the upcoming “Transformers” spin-off “Bumblebee.”
The report says that Knight has been someone that Marvel Studios has had an eye on for a while now, and was on the shortlist for “The Eternals” before that job was given to Chloe Zhao. Now, the rumor doesn’t say that Knight is going to be named the director, but instead, is just a name that Disney and Marvel Studios like for the job. However, if he’s hired, it would signal that “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is indeed going to be a reality.
So far, all the news surrounding the film since Gunn has left has been dismal. Most of the headlines have been coming from ‘Guardians’ actor Dave Bautista saying that the film might be dead, and if it does happen, he may not come back to the role of Drax. Of course, that’s all conjecture at this point, as Kevin Feige and the folks at Marvel Studios haven’t even officially announced the film is being released, let alone a release date and/or creative team.
That being said, James Gunn’s brother Sean (who also stars in the franchise and does the motion capture for Rocket) said that Marvel is keen on using Gunn’s original script for the sequel. So, it would appear that even with Gunn’s departure, the ‘Guardians’ franchise could retain some of his signature elements.
As for whether or not this is good news, film fans will have to decide for themselves. ‘Kubo’ is an incredible film, but the verdict on “Bumblebee” is yet to be determined. However, if that film is a massive hit, you can expect that Knight will be a very in-demand filmmaker. And maybe, Marvel Studios will need to snatch him up before another studio gets their hooks in him.