Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is still a couple of weeks away from hitting the theaters, but everyone’s asking whether James Gunn will come back to write and direct the next sequel. A few weeks ago, the director claimed that a Vol. 3 would surely happen, but he added that he wasn't sure about signing on for a third installment. The good news is that he has finally made up his mind on the matter.

Gunn took to Facebook to officially announce his return for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. As he did for the first two movies, he’ll pen the script and take the helm. And he can't "fricking wait to get started":

So, yes, I'm returning to write and direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. 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.

According to Gunn, Hollywood trilogies have a history of "haphazard endings", and he wants to avoid becoming "a part of that dishonorable tradition of pretending the third one doesn't exist". He went to say that he’s always made career choices based on "passion and love for the stories and characters" , rather than for money or anything else. So the director needed to determine whether he truly felt that a third Guardians of the Galaxy installment was something he wanted to do.

Gunn stated that he made the announcement on the social media platform because he wanted the fans to be the first to hear the news, as opposed to an interviewer popping the question during the upcoming press junket. He praised them, along with the people at Marvel Studios and Disney Studios. The director concluded with a promise that he will make Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 “with integrity and love and respect for the characters”.

In addition to Gunn's announcement, we have this hilarious new promotional video for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2!

We don’t know when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will arrive, but Vol. 2 is coming to theaters on May 5, 2017!

Are you excited about James Gunn's return as writer and director for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3? Share via comments, and stay tuned for the latest updates!