Unusually for a Marvel trilogy, the Guardians movies have been pretty consistent in terms of creative talent throughout their run: James Gunn is back as writer and director for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which are the same duties that he served on the first two movies as well as the Holiday Special — although, it should always be remembered, Nicole Perlman did a lot of early lifting as the initial writer of the first movie back in 2014 before Gunn stepped on board the project. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige produced all three movies, and cinematographer Henry Braham and editors Fred Raskin and Craig Wood are also returning for their third outings with the series.

There is one noticeable personnel change, though: John Murphy is handling the movie’s score, replacing Tyler Bates, who scored the first two movies in the series. (Murphy, who worked with Gunn on DC’s The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, also scored the GOTG Holiday Special.)

The final installment in James Gunn’s trilogy (well, trilogy-and-a-bit, with the addition of the Holiday Special on Disney+), Vol. 3 promises to bring the long-running story of the team to a satisfying end after nine years, as well as opening up space just a little bit wider for future Marvel stories to explore. It's a film that Popverse's own Tiffany Babb enjoyed a lot, calling it "the best superhero movie of the past six years" - which is high praise indeed.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens in most theaters May 5, 2023. Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets.

Get ready for the new film with our comprehensive Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 guide.