James Gunn’s farewell to Marvel following ‘Guardians of the Galaxy vol.3’

It is the end of an era for Marvel.

‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3′ is James Gunn’s final Marvel Cinematic Universe film, and has already performed well at the worldwide box office. The film grossed $114 million in its opening weekend in the US — less than its second installment, which earned $146 million.

Gunn both wrote and directed the third installment in the franchise.

The movie delves into the past of the franchise’s character, Rocket, played by Bradley Cooper, a character about whom little was previously known about his origin — except that he was the product of a series of illegal genetic and cybernetic experiments. The plot also focuses on the “special guardians”, who undertake their last mission together.

James Gunn on working with the cast

James Gunn, during a global Guardians of the Galaxy team conference, said he is going to miss the cast — but mostly he will miss the characters.

“I won’t be writing about them again, at least not in the near future,” Gunn said.

“Not only did I become very good at hiring people who are not jerks, but people who are actually positive, compassionate, loving, and kind. I’ve become close to them. I love them. That makes making movies a much more pleasurable experience,” said the filmmaker. “The little moments. Rehearsing with Chris between scenes. Talking with Sean. Watching Chuk deliver an amazing performance. Making jokes with Pom.”

James Gunn was approached to direct the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ trilogy a decade ago.

“The world needed a space fantasy that was different from the ones we’d seen before,” the director said of his vision at the time.

The success of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3′

After its release, the film received good comments from specialized critics, who consider the movie a success after Marvel’s bad streak.

“The end of this sci-fi superhero trilogy is a welcome change to Marvel’s recent run of disappointments,” said Christian Holub of Entertainment Weekly.

“It accomplishes what it sets out to do, which is to offer a heartwarming and emotional ending to a franchise that has proven to be one of Marvel’s greatest and most improbably accomplished stories,” Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote.

“A sincerely touching farewell to some of the most lovable scoundrels and misfits in the Marvel cosmos,” adds Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times.