James Gunn says 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' is a heavier story

Gunn previously directed ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1'' (2014) and ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'' (2017), featuring a ragtag group of superheroes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). 

The director said he will start work on ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3'' after wrapping ''Peacemaker'', the HBO Max spin-off series to the upcoming DC movie ''The Suicide Squad''. 

''I'm still shooting 'Peacemaker', but I'm starting to work on 'Guardians 3'. For 'Guardians 3', the script has basically been written for a long time,'' Gunn told Entertainment Weekly. ''I've been playing with it in little ways over the years, but it's basically stayed the same since three years ago. It's pretty heavy actually. It's a heavier story, so it's an emotional process to go through,'' he added. 

''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'' will feature Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Bradley Cooper as Rocket and Vin Diesel as Groot. The movie will release globally in 2023.