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

Chris Pratt has made his position on a possible Guardians of the Galaxy reunion uncomplicated: he would welcome it. The actor, who has played Peter Quill/Star-Lord in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for more than a decade, said it would be “awesome” to work with filmmaker James Gunn again should a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4 ever happen.

The comments arrive amid uncertainty around Gunn’s next professional chapter. Gunn directed all three Guardians films before moving to DC Studios in 2022 to lead its film operation with Peter Safran. With Gunn no longer running DC movies, speculation has naturally turned toward whether a Marvel reunion is possible. For the moment, though, Pratt’s enthusiasm is just that: enthusiasm, not confirmation of a fourth movie or of Gunn’s involvement in one.

“That would be awesome. I love working with James. He’s the man,” Pratt said, adding that he had not yet spoken with Gunn following the news.

A trilogy with an unusually consistent creative lead

Gunn’s connection to the MCU’s cosmic team is distinctive because he directed the entire trilogy: Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and 2023’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Pratt noted that having one director steer all three installments is rare for this kind of blockbuster trilogy.

That consistency matters beyond a credit on a poster. A franchise director can provide continuity in tone, character voice, visual choices, musical sensibility, and the long-running emotional threads that turn a sequel into part of a coherent arc. In the case of the Guardians, Gunn’s three films were not simply separate adventures using the same roster. They formed a sustained story for a group of characters whose relationships—and changing version of family—were central to the series’ identity.

Vol. 3 also functioned as a substantial bookend to both Gunn’s work on the series and the characters as audiences had known them. That makes the idea of a fourth installment more complicated than merely bringing familiar stars back together. A continuation would need to decide what, exactly, it is continuing: the original team dynamic, an altered lineup, Star-Lord’s individual story, or a new mission under the Guardians name.

What Pratt actually said—and what it does not establish

Pratt’s remarks should not be mistaken for a production update. He did not announce that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4 is in development, say that Marvel Studios has approached Gunn, or indicate that Gunn has expressed interest in returning. He offered a personal answer to a hypothetical reunion.

That distinction is especially useful in a franchise ecosystem where cast comments can quickly be treated as evidence that a project is imminent. There are several separate questions embedded in the conversation:

Will Star-Lord return in a future MCU project?
Will the Guardians return as a team?
Will Marvel make a fourth standalone Guardians film?
Would James Gunn want to direct it?
Would Marvel Studios want Gunn to direct it, and could schedules align?

Pratt’s answer only addresses one part of the final question from his own perspective. He would like the collaboration. Everything else remains unconfirmed.

Star-Lord’s future is the more immediate thread

While a new Guardians movie is not confirmed, Pratt has separately expressed confidence that he has a strong idea for bringing Star-Lord back to the MCU. Earlier this year, he said he had a “really strong vision” for the character’s future, and more recently said plans for his return were in the works at Marvel Studios.

Those statements still do not identify a title, release plan, or role for Quill. They do, however, keep the conversation focused on a practical difference that can be easy to blur: a Star-Lord appearance does not require Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4. Major shared-universe franchises frequently bring characters back through ensemble films, supporting appearances, or stories that place an established hero outside their original team format.

One possibility mentioned in the current discussion is a return in next year’s Avengers: Secret Wars. That remains speculative, but it illustrates why a future Guardians appearance and a new Guardians-led feature should be treated as separate ideas. The former could happen without resolving the larger creative question of who would make another full team movie and what its narrative purpose would be.

Zoe Saldaña, who plays Gamora, previously argued that it would be a significant loss to leave the spacefaring heroes behind. Her sentiment reflects the continued attachment around the characters, but it is not a commitment to a particular project. The status of individual cast members, the makeup of the team, and the form of any return are all unknown.

Why a Gunn return is appealing to fans

The prospect has obvious emotional appeal. Gunn helped establish the screen version of these characters, and Pratt’s Star-Lord was built in close collaboration with that direction over three films. Reuniting the original director and a defining lead actor promises continuity at a moment when the property’s prior trilogy has already reached a natural stopping point.

But that same history is why the idea is not automatically simple. Returning to a completed trilogy requires a compelling reason, rather than an assumption that popularity alone should produce another chapter. A reunion would carry expectations: viewers would likely look for the same blend of humor, character sentiment, and cosmic-scale stakes associated with the prior films, while also wanting a story that does not undo the conclusion of Vol. 3.

There is also a practical creative question. Gunn’s known work beyond DC includes Man of Tomorrow and one additional, unidentified DC project. His broader slate following his DC departure is open, but “open” is not the same thing as available for a Marvel production. No timetable for a Guardians reunion has been announced.

The larger franchise-planning lesson

The wait around possible sequels is increasingly part of how audiences engage with blockbuster series. A familiar actor voicing interest can sustain excitement, but it cannot substitute for an announced creative team, story plan, or production schedule. The game industry has its own version of this tension, where long development gaps reshape expectations; GTA’s long road to a new entry is a useful reminder that a major franchise’s next step is often more complex than a simple count upward.

For Marvel, the near-term known marker is Avengers: Doomsday, due next month. That release may clarify more about the MCU’s immediate direction, though there is no indication that it will settle the separate question of a fourth Guardians movie. On Gunn’s side, the situation is similarly unresolved: Skydance has not yet seen his cut of Man of Tomorrow, after Gunn rejected claims that it had.

For now, Pratt has given fans a clear indication of his preference, not a promise. He values his relationship with Gunn, recognizes the unusual continuity the filmmaker brought to all three Guardians films, and would gladly return for another round if Gunn wanted to do the same. Whether that shared interest ever becomes an actual Marvel project is still one of several unanswered questions surrounding the Guardians’ future.