Director James Gunn has decided against releasing the first Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailer to the public for the time being because he isn't completely satisfied with the VFX.
The first official footage of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 debuted at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, but it was exclusively screened for those in Hall H and didn't appear online afterwards. Several fans took to social media to share their disappointment over its notable absence online, to which Gunn replied and explained that he felt it wasn't quite ready for public viewing.
I wish you could have too. But it’s not just Marvel, it’s also me. Although I love the teaser some VFX aren’t where I’d want them to be for repeated views & close inspection – remember we didn’t wrap long ago – so you’ll have to wait just a beat! Sorry! https://t.co/NAz0gIedo8
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 25, 2022
Gunn explained that, while he personally loves the trailer, he has decided to hold it back for "a beat" because the VFX needs some fine-tuning before it receives "repeated views and close inspection" from the general public. He also reminded fans that they only finished filming in May, so there is still quite a lot of work to be completed in post-production at this stage.
Nevertheless, Marvel gave the Hall H crowd a sneak peek of what's to come in the third and final chapter of Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. It showed some big changes taking place with the cosmic crew, including the debut of Maria Bakalova as Cosmo the Spacedog. The trailer also revealed Gamora running a section of the Ravagers, together with glimpses of Groot and Rocket Raccoon.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be part of Phase 5 of the MCU, and is set to be released on May 5, 2023. The trailer was screened during a deluge of news at SDCC, where we learned tons about Marvel's plans for the finale of Phase 4, as well as both Phases 5 and 6, now dubbed the Multiverse Saga, alongside tons of other announcements, trailers, and teasers at the event.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.