James Gunn says Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be longer than first two films

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is one of Marvel’s most anticipated movies, and according to director James Gunn, there is plenty for fans to be excited about.

Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the most beloved teams in the MCU, and this is in no small part to James Gunn’s directing style.

The movies are full of energy, and never feel like they’re overstaying their welcome. So, perhaps this has encouraged the director to make his upcoming third film of the series even longer than the previous two.

In a recent interview, Gunn revealed that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 would be longer than the first and second films, and he also explained why.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be Gunn’s longest and most emotional film

In the interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Gunn discussed the upcoming film, and stressed that it will be not only the longest in runtime, but also be the most emotional Guardians film yet.

“This is a much bigger movie than the other two movies, and it’s a much more emotional movie than the other two movies. And it’s a longer movie than the other two movies – it’s bigger in every way,” he said.

Marvel films have been pushing their runtimes over the past decade: Spider-Man: No Way Home was two hours and 28 minutes; Avengers: Endgame famously had a three-hour runtime; and even Gunn’s last entry in the franchise, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, was 134 minutes, which is slightly longer than the industry average of 121 minutes.

The length of the film is likely in purpose of those higher emotions, so that Gunn has the time to let the characters really feel what they are going through.

Fans who managed to see the trailer for the upcoming film at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con have already been claiming the teaser to be an emotional experience. So even if Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be lengthy, it’ll likely warrant its long stay.