James Gunn to write, direct ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

LOS ANGELES – Marvel’s continuing space opera “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” has yet to hit theaters, but plans are already in the works for the third installment.

On Monday, James Gunn announced on Facebook that he would be returning to write and direct “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” Gunn also wrote and directed the first and second “Guardians” films.

The franchise stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista and features the voices of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel.

In his post, Gunn said that “Guardians 3” will come after 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War” and conclude the story of this iteration of Guardians of the Galaxy, helping to launch Marvel’s next 10 years.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” hits theaters on May 5.