Guardians of Galaxy Gather for Amazing Reunion with James Gunn
The cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 got together for a reunion and talked all about the film and its impact on the lives and careers of the cast. The panel included Chris Pratt “Peter Quill / Starlord,” Pom Klementieff “Mantis,” Karen Gillan “Nebula,” Sean Gunn “Kraglin,” Will Poulter “Adam Warlock,” Chukwudi Iwuji “The High Evolutionary,” and Maria Bakalova “Cosmo.” They were joined by James Gunn / Writer & Director, and Kevin Feige/ Executive Producer. Nathan Fillion, “Master Orgosentry Karja“ served as the panel moderator in an emotional and funny hour-long discussion on the film and the entire franchise.
Fillion asked Producer/Director James Gunn if he ever would have imagined the success of the Guardians of the Galaxy over ten years ago. Gunn replied, “Well, you know, listen, the thing is, is that people think of making a movie from the perspective of what it’s become culturally. And yeah, absolutely, I don’t think I could’ve dreamed that. I mean, I could’ve dreamed it. I’m not gonna lie. Like, I had hopes.”
Gunn added, “I felt really good about it from the beginning. I felt like we were doing something different. I felt like, you know, the world kind of needed a space fantasy that was different from ones we had seen before. So, I was very pleasantly surprise when my greatest hopes did come true. But I think in terms of the story that we were telling over the three movies, I think that, I did have sort of a sense of how it was gonna go from the beginning.”
Related: Behind the scenes look at the making of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
MCU CEO Kevin Feige, usually a man of few words in these conferences, understood that Guardians 3 was a different film. Feige reflected upon the entire trilogy by saying, “You know, we’ve had trilogies before. We’ve had a number of them, actually. And I was thinking, why does this feel so different and so much of a passage of some sort?
“And it’s because Guardians really was the first movie that was completely outside of the realm. It tied in with Thanos and Infinity Stones. But The Avengers were not in it. And we weren’t setting up Tony Stark’s next adventure, or Captain America. And it was really our attempt of saying, we don’t wanna just do superhero movies.”
While the commercial and critical praise was important to all, most of the time was spent by the cast discussing the mutual love of the process and working with James Gunn. Chris Pratt, when asked if he’d do another three films with Gunn, stated, “Of course. First of all, I’d jump at the opportunity. Making movies is really fun.
“When you get to do it with people that you love, it’s even more fun. That’s the journey, right? The destination, it sometimes sucks. Like, you know, you have this great time with all your friends and you get together and you work hard.”
Pratt added, “With James, it’s been both the journey and the destination have been glorious. The films are incredible. I don’t know how he does it. And so, just selfishly, I’d be willing to deal with a terrible journey to get to this destination.”
Related: James Gunn Wins PETA Award for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Fillian then asked Karen Gillan what it is like reuniting. Fillian added, “When you come back and you see all these people again, then you get another reunion with the characters.” Gillan didn’t hesitate with her answer saying, “I love these characters. Mantis and, like, Kraglin and Rocket and Star-Lord. Everyone. It’s like, it’s just so lovely to come together and see everyone as human beings. But then also, to play these characters, as well, it feels really familiar. It feels like two families or something. Yeah.”
Pom Klementieff, who plays Mantis kept the love for James Gunn going. When asked what playing a character like Mantis has brought to her life, Klementieff stated, “Oh, my God. I mean, for me, it’s not Mantis. It’s like, Mantis and James Gunn. James changed my life. And get to play Mantis, I got, I mean, you know, she’s an empath, you know? So, it’s, like, beautiful to tap in and [create?] deep, profound, and layered emotions, you know? And yeah. And then I got to be super weird, which is really fun to do, too.”
Related: Disneyland Paris Hosts European Film Premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
For Pom, the emotions of Guardian’s ending didn’t sink in until they boarded the plane home from Europe. Kevin Feige recalled the ride home and told of a story where after a drink spill on the plane that soaked Pom’s new purse. Feige retells the story by saying, “…we clean it up. And then we’re flying for another, I don’t know, maybe, you know, 10 minutes.
“All of a sudden, Pom bursts into tears. And she goes, I’m so sad. And Chris and I look at each other and go; you really screwed up by dropping… Like, we thought she was sad about her purse getting wet. And then she said, “I feel. I feel like something is ending.”
Pom fought back more emotions but ultimately laughed it off by making a joke at Karen Gilan’s expense. “…Sometimes it (sadness) just comes at unexpected moments. And you just can’t control it. It’s the beauty of it too. You know. It just comes like that. And it just I couldn’t contain it. And I wanted to hide in the bathroom to cry. But Karen was in the bathroom. So, it’s like, come on. Kevin Feige then added, “For a long time too. Definitely number two.”
Related: Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 blasts off for one final ride
Ultimately the gathering of the cast displayed what made the Guardians so successful. It became more than a film franchise. You could tell that this cast and director mutually loved and respected each other. Much like the Guardians became family for its viewers, this group of actors has become a tight-knit unit. Guardians Vol. 3 continues to perform strongly at the global box office, earning 773.3 million in its two-plus week release.
James Gunn will move on to helm DC’s Extended universe and take over the studio, serving as CEO of another comic book universe. Many cast members expressed their desire to work with Gunn on DC projects. As for the Guardians of the Galaxy, we will continue to see more of them in future films; however, this team iteration is riding off into the cosmos with one hell of a goodbye. Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 is now playing in theaters worldwide.
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