It is official, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has begun filming. Director James Gunn took to social media and confirmed the news, revealing that the actors are all back on set and ready to bring the next chapter in the extremely popular franchise to life.

The news has got fans excited, as they have been waiting years since the second installment in the franchise was released to see where the story goes moving forward. Along with his post, Gunn shared a behind-the-scenes photo of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 actors posing together on the set of the film.

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The image features Gunn, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Sean Gunn, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, latest cast member Will Poulter, and Chukwudi Iwuji. When sharing the image on Twitter, Gunn posted it with a heartfelt caption. He refers to his journey with the Guardians franchise as a “strange and long and at times challenging” one, but despite all the obstacles along the way, the first day of filming is a “blissful moment” for him. He is clearly happy to be “back on set with [his] Guardians family.”

It has already been over four years since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was released and the third installment in the franchise was announced. After Gunn completed the screenplay for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the director was fired from his position due to some previous offensive tweets resurfacing. However, several months later, he was rehired by Disney and could return to the project. But, due to his commitments with DC on The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, Gunn was unable to return to Guardians immediately. With both DC projects now complete, it seems like the Guardians franchise is back on track.

While many of the characters from the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise will be returning in the next film, Poulter is the latest actor to join the star-studded cast of the movie. It was confirmed that the Maze Runner and Black Mirror: Bandersnatch star will be playing the role of Adam Warlock in the upcoming film. Fans have been excited about his involvement since the news broke, and seeing him as part of the cast photo has only increased the hype.

Some fans have raised questions about Iwuji’s presence in the photograph. It is confirmed that Iwuji will be seen in Gunn's HBO Max series Peacemaker, portraying the role of Clemson Murn. However, his involvement in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is unclear at the moment, and after seeing the behind-the-scenes photo, fans are now wondering if there could be a potential crossover between Gunn’s two upcoming projects. It could just be a coincidence that Iwuji was present for the photo, but fan theories are already being spun.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is in production and is expected to premiere in theaters on May 23, 2023.

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Source: James Gunn/Twitter