When Marvel Studios originally began its ambitious slate of films, the original formula- or so it seemed- was that they’d release a few solo adventures for various heroes and then culminate with an Avengers team-up movie every few years. Throughout much of Phase 1 and Phase 2, that prevailing theory was very accurate. However, Guardians of The Galaxy director James Gunn is now saying that it may not be the case going forward.

In an interview with MTV, Gunn revealed that his Guardians sequel will actually not tie into Avengers: Infinity War- Part 1. The film, which is set for a May 5, 2017 release, will lead into something more cosmic- seemingly splintering off the MCU in a new direction.

When asked if he feels creatively hamstrung at all by the sequel needing to tie into Marvel’s over-arching plans, Gunn responded with this:

“I don’t feel beholden to that stuff at all. I think it’s really about the Guardians and what they are doing. We’re not subservient to the Avengers. ‘Guardians 2’ is not a movie that’s made to move toward ‘Infinity War.’ It’s something that’s made to move toward future cosmic movies, so I don’t feel that that is something that affects me that much.”

We know that Marvel will continue to explore earthbound heroes, but Gunn’s comments indicate there’ll be separate films that focus on stories set around the cosmos. Pretty interesting, and a sign of exactly how far Marvel intends to go with their ever-expanding plans. 

SOURCE: MTV