Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is expected to hit theaters in 2020. But we may not be able to expect X-Men or the Fantastic Four to pop up in the movie.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 had been in theaters for just a couple of days when James Gunn announced that Vol. 3 was already in the works and added that he’d be working on it over the next three years. This led to speculation about a 2020 release, and the director confirmed just that during a recent Twitter Q & A session:
Coming in 2020. https://t.co/2kQbPHC5gP
"” James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 14, 2018
Gunn previously shared that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will help kickstart the new story of the Marvel Cinematic Universe once the current storyline concludes with Avengers 4. The Disney/Fox merger should be finalized by the middle of 2019, so it would make sense for Marvel to introduce the X-Men and/or the Fantastic Four in the third GotG movie. But Gunn shot down that theory when a fan asked whether the merger would affect the movie:
"” James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 14, 2018
In response to fan questions, Gunn vowed that as long as he was in charge, Yondu (Michael Rooker) wasn't going to return from the dead. He also said that among 2018’s movies, he was most excited about Black Panther. Finally, he told a fan that as an executive producer for Avengers: Infinity War and its follow-up, he had read the Infinity War script.
SPOILER. He will never be brought back to life as long as I'm around. His passing needs to mean something. https://t.co/D5H58Twjwi
"” James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 14, 2018
BLACK PANTHER!!! https://t.co/WBKBvYYulU
"” James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 14, 2018
Of course. I've worked on A3 and A4 as an Executive Producer. https://t.co/B8lgFUXLY8
"” James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 14, 2018