Guardians Of The Galaxy 3: 6 Directors Who Could Replace James Gunn

2. Taika Waititi

Thor Ragnarok Taika Waititi
Marvel Studios

Known For: What We Do In The Shadows, Hunt For The Wilderpeople, Thor: Ragnarok

Why He's Right For The Job: Before Gunn's firing, he'd been tasked with developing the cosmic side of the MCU, introducing new characters and expanding the universe beyond everything we'd seen thus far.

But with Thor: Ragnarok, Waititi has already started that ball rolling, showing us Sakaar, The Grandmaster, and the Valkyries. Based on this evidence, he's perfectly positioned to continue on with Marvel's cosmic plans, and his proven ability to handle a big comic-book blockbuster makes him the ideal candidate.

Ragnarok was also similar to Guardians in tone, with the two sharing an eccentric sense of humour. The Thor threequel even earned the nickname "Asgardians Of The Galaxy" from fans because of this. Having him direct Vol. 3 also opens up the tantalising prospect of integrating Thor into the series, something Infinity War laid the foundations for beautifully.

Chances Of It Happening: If Marvel wants to choose a new director quickly, Waititi is the obvious, safe choice. Not "safe" in a bad way, either; he's already a beloved part of the MCU family, he's got the humour down, and he can cope with a big budget.

He will absolutely be in consideration for the Vol. 3 job, and it wouldn't be surprising if he got it. 8/10

Contributor
Contributor

Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!