Chris Pratt Would Love James Gunn to Return for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4 After Leaving DC

Chris Pratt said he would love to reunite with James Gunn for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4 after the director abruptly announced he would be leaving DC Studios earlier this week.

Gunn is no longer running DC movies with Peter Safran – so what comes next? That’s the question many comic book fans are asking as the dust begins to settle at Skydance, and although it will be quite a while before we actually see what happens, some are getting their hopes up for a Marvel reunion.

Gunn directed three Guardians of the Galaxy movies for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and dealt with his fair share of drama) while working with the Marvel Studios team before leaving to help head up DC Studios in 2022. Work on Man of Tomorrow and one other mystery DC project aside, the comic book movie maker’s future is wide open. Chris Pratt, who has starred as the MCU’s Star-Lord for more than a decade, told Moviezine it would be “awesome” to re-team with Gunn for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4 now that DC is about nearly in the rearview mirror.

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“That would be awesome. I love working with James. He’s the man,” Pratt said. “I haven’t had a chance to speak with him since that news came out yesterday.”

The last time we saw Star-Lord and the rest of the Guardians was in 2023’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Although that story fit well as a bookend for its characters and Gunn’s work on the franchise, fans have had a hard time letting go of some of the MCU’s most popular faces – Pratt included.

In January of this year, the actor said he has a “really strong vision” to bring Star-Lord back in future MCU installments. Just last month, he promised that plans for his return were in the works at Marvel Studios. Gamora actor Zoe Saldaña also said in 2024 that “it would be a huge loss” if the space-traveling heroes were left behind.

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Gunn coming back to Marvel again feels like a long shot, and it’s always possible that we could see the Guardians return in another MCU ensemble film like next year’s Avengers: Secret Wars. At least for now, Pratt is willing to hold out hope.

“All I’ll say is, I love James,” he added. “He directed all three [Guardians of the Galaxy movies], and that’s pretty rare in those types of trilogies, to have the same director through all three. If he wanted to come back and bring it back, man. I would love that.”

Whether it’s with the MCU or DC, much of the future is a mystery. In Gunn’s case, we at least know Skydance has yet to even see his cut of Man of Tomorrow after the director squashed rumors claiming otherwise last night. We’ll know about what’s coming down the pipe for Marvel when Avengers: Doomsday arrives next month.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).