So Many People Are Going to Galaxy's Edge, Disneyland Has To Actually Expand Entryway

So Many People Are Going to Galaxy's Edge, Disneyland Has To Actually Expand Entryway

We're coming into the home stretch before Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opens at Disneyland, but the park still has a lot of work to do to get ready. In anticipation of the major crowds that are expected to swarm the park, Disneyland recently took to modifying the entrance to Adventureland, which will be one of the major pathways to Galaxy's Edge, in order to allow it to accommodate more people. This included removing the iconic sign above the hub entrance, though the word is Disney Parks plans to reuse as much of the sign as possible for the brand new entrance.

Disneyland's hub and spoke design is an iconic part of the park's layout that allowed guests to enter any of the park's major areas once they reached the end of Main Street USA. However, even with the park's first major expansion back in the 1960s, this concept began to fall apart. New Orleans Square was built out of a corner of Frontierland, meaning guests had to go through either Adventureland or Frontierland to get there.

Mickey's Toontown likewise requires guests to trek all the way through Fantasyland to see it.

The only space that Disneyland has had available for expansion has been in the back of the park, in an area previously holding offices and other "behind the scenes" cast member areas. This is going to make traffic a serious concern at Disneyland as the new area that everybody is going to be headed towards requires guests to pass through the rest of the park, making pretty much the entire park feel more crowded.

Adventureland Sign Removal

In order to make this a little more painless, Disneyland recently widened the path between the hub and Adventureland. One problem, that has DIsney fans a little sad, is that the wider path means the existing Adventureland sign no longer fits.

The permit to remove the iconic Adventureland sign was first uncovered by theme park fan Matthew Gotula in early April. The new entrance has been largely completed, and now has a very small sign denoting your location.

While there is only a small sign there now, a new larger sign is planned to be created, which will utilize as much of the previous sign as possible. The plan, according to the OC Register, is to have the new sign in place in time for the Galaxy's Edge opening May 31.

Dole Whip Diversion

A number of other changes are being implemented to help deal with crowds. One potentially surprising change is that the Dole Whip stand in front of the Enchanted Tiki Room will be closed on busy days, in order to prevent the crowds that often line up to get the popular soft serve pineapple treat.

Fear not, however, Dole Whip will still be available at the new Tropical Hideway, the grab-and-go food stand that opened late last year. Dole Whip is always available there. Also, you can get it with rum at the Disneyland Hotel coffee house, if you're inclined to such things.

The Dole Whip stand situation shows just how important these changes are. Normally, on a busy day, Disneyland would want to have as many places to buy Dole Whip, or anything else for that matter, as possible. However, in this case traffic flow is actually even more important than selling more food.

Project Stardust

All of these changes are part of a large, park wide, traffic review called Project Stardust (Star Wars+ Pixie Dust). Everything from seating and planter locations to stroller parking has been under review, and much of it has been moved or removed, in order to make it easier for people to make their way through the park.

Early estimates were that Disneyland could see as many as 200,000 people on the opening day of Galaxy's Edge. While the exact capacity of the park is unknown, estimates put the number at someplace around 85,000 people.

It's unclear if things will be quite that dire, since Disneyland has instituted a reservation system for the first three weeks after Galaxy's Edge opens. You can secure a reservation for Galaxy's Edge by making a Disneyland Resort hotel reservation. Everybody, booked into the room is guaranteed entry into Galaxy's Edge during one day of the booked stay, for a period that appears to be four hours long.

Anybody not staying on property will have an opportunity to book a reservation for Galaxy's Edge on May 2.

While the reservation system will likely keep those that don't have reservations away, the four hour block will mean that those waiting for their reservation time will be all over the rest of Disneyland, making traffic flow important not only in the areas that lead to Galaxy's Edge, but everywhere in the park.

Of course, the big question is just how long the massive crowds are expected to fill Galaxy's Edge? The interest in Galaxy's Edge clearly exceeds anything that has ever come before. The new attractions will likely be the most popular in the park for years to come. Does that mean the crowds won't die down for years?

One item that could prolong the popularity of Galaxy's Edge is that the initial opening will actually only be the beginning of phase one for Galaxy's Edge. Only one of the two E-ticket attractions, Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run will be open on say one. The second attraction, Rise of the Resistance will come later. Exactly when has not been announced, but it will come later in 2019.

This means that even those that get to experience Galaxy's Edge early will have every reason to want to return if only to get a chance to ride the second attraction.

It's also unclear just how much you'll be able to do in a four window. Will that be enough time to ride Smuggler's Run and have dinner, or will you have to come back if you want to do both?

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opens at Disneyland May 31 and will come to Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World on August 29.

Don Cheadle Wants Deadpool To Join The Avengers

Don Cheadle Wants Deadpool To Join The Avengers

Avengers: Endgame has been in theaters for a week, but the conversation regarding the film's contents have only just begun. The Russo Brothers crafted an extremely ambitious blockbuster, which wrapped up the Infinity Saga and even provided a few teases for what's coming next. But with the absence of a credits scene, most of Phase Four is a giant mystery.

One of the biggest questions surrounding Marvel's future is if/when the characters previously owned by 20th Century Fox will be adopted into the massive shared universe. This is perhaps the most relevant to Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool franchise, as Disney has expressed its interest in continuing the R-rated romp. Don Cheadle has played War Machine in the MCU since Iron Man 2, and recently expressed hope that Wade Wilson joins The Avengers, saying:

Yeah, I think that Deadpool would, I think we want to see that.

You tell 'em, Rhodes. The Merc with a Mouth has been noticeably absent from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and both the fans and cast themselves would love to welcome Deadpool to the fold in a future installment.

Don Cheadle's comments to Variety echo what Marvel fans have been saying since Deadpool first hit theaters in 2016. Ryan Reynolds played the fourth-wall-breaking antihero masterfully, and the character became extremely popular to casual fans overnight. And considering how much the title character references the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the idea of him assembling with Earth's Mightiest Heroes hasn't been far from moviegoers' minds.

And according to Don Cheadle, that also includes the members of the MCU. While Disney's plans for Deadpool and The Avengers is unclear at the moment, it seems like a logical time to bring Wade Wilson into the fold. Endgame marked the end of the OG Marvel actors' contracts, so it's unclear if we'll see the likes of Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man again in the future. As such, Marvel Studios may want to bring new talent to help fill in the ranks.

Enter Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool. Bringing Wade Wilson into the MCU would skip the pesky origin story or first introduction, with cinephiles instead following a fully formed character. The Deadpool franchise has made a ton of money at the box office, so even casual moviegoers will have some understanding of the foul mouthed anti-hero. And from all the references, it's clear that Deadpool knows the MCU's denizens well.

Related: Chris Hemsworth Welcomed Deadpool To The MCU In A Great Way

For now, we'll just have to wait and see if/when Deadpool joins the MCU. And he's not the only formerly owned Fox property, as the Fantastic Four and X-Men also have the potential to be adapted by Marvel Studios.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now, and making a ton of money at the box office. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

The Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Trailer Is Here, And It Just Revealed A Major Character Return

The Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Trailer Is Here, And It Just Revealed A Major Character Return

The end of an era is almost upon us. The Star Wars franchise is wrapping up the Skywalker Saga later with year with the release of Episode IX. Well, after all this time waiting, and straight out of Star Wars Celebration in Chicago, we finally have our first trailer for Episode IX, or as it’s officially known, Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker. As if that wasn’t a big enough deal, it revealed that Emperor Palpatine, a.k.a. Darth Sidious, is back. Check it out!

There’s a lot to absorb from our first look at Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but let’s fast forward to the end, right before the title card. Visually, there’s just a black screen, but that’s accompanied by a very familiar noise: Emperor Palpatine’s laugh. That’s right, nearly 40 years after we watched Palpatine die in Return of the Jedi and over a decade after Ian McDiarmid last played the Sith Lord on the big screen in Revenge of the Sith, he’s back!

How is he back? That’s hard to say. The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi paved the way for flashbacks in Star Wars movies, so maybe we’ll look back at Palpatine during the Empire’s reign or even earlier, when he was Chancellor of the Republic. On the other hand, what if just like Jedi like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda learned to do, Palpatine somehow learned to project himself as a Force ghost? That would be awesome to see for fans, but nothing but trouble for the protagonists. Or what if clones are being broken back out, and this Palpatine is a copy of the original?

We’ll just have to wait to see how Palpatine fits into Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, though knowing Disney and Lucasfilm, they’ll try to keep that a secret for as long as possible. Fortunately, there were plenty of other things to enjoy from the first The Rise of Skywalker trailer.

The preview kicks off with Rey on a desert planet (a return to Jakku or yet another sand-filled world?) drawing her lightsaber and preparing herself for something while Luke Skywalker narration and John Williams music plays. Eventually she ignites her blade and starts running from a spacecraft pursuing her: Kylo Ren’s TIE Fighter, meaning you can logically guess who’s inside of it. Then, as the ship gets extremely close to Rey, she leaps backward in its direction, although the trailer cuts before we see whether she lands on top of it or not.

From there, we see a lot of cool moments, including Kylo Ren slamming an opponent (maybe a Resistance fighter) to the ground on a red-lit planet; Kylo repairing the helmet he destroyed in The Last Jedi; Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca traveling through hyperspace on the Millennium Falcon; Finn, Poe Dameron and C-3PO on a skiff avoiding blaster fire, Rey hugging Leia Organa; and the main heroes on a strange planet looking at a large structure in the distance. However, it’s probably safe to say that this Palpatine tease was the biggest surprise.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker opens in theaters on December 20, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for continuing coverage. In the meantime, look through our 2019 release schedule to learn what other movies are coming out this year.

Edward Norton Is Suing Over Movie Set Fire That Killed A Firefighter

Edward Norton Is Suing Over Movie Set Fire That Killed A Firefighter

Around this time last year, filming on writer/director/actor Edward Norton’s film Motherless Brooklyn suffered an accidental fire, which claimed the life of New York firefighter Michael Davidson as he responded to the scene. Up until now, the legal ramifications of this fatality had been filed against Norton and his Class 5 production company, but a recent update has shown that Edward Norton is now filing a suit of his own.

In this latest turn of events, a lawsuit against the owner of the building Motherless Brooklyn was filming in, Vincent Sollazzo, claims that he is at fault for the fatal incident which occurred last March. Specifically, the suit alleges the following points of supposed negligence:

…failing to maintain the building’s boiler, maintain an operational sprinkler system, install or maintain smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detectors and address exposed wiring and other electrical hazards.

Class 5’s lawsuit also claims that the production company, and Edward Norton, had followed all protocols involving fire safety, throughout the production of Motherless Brooklyn. It was also inferred that Norton and his crew had the proper permits from the FDNY, and were not warned of any “unsafe or problematic” conditions at their shooting site.

The Blast has been a frequent source for reporting such developments during the production of Motherless Brooklyn, with the story becoming more complicated and saddening with each turn. Previously, the publication had reported on several additional lawsuits against Edward Norton’s Class 5 production company, with the most recent being filed earlier this month from a pair of tenants who literally claimed that this tragic incident ruined their lives.

Two additional suits were also reported from last year, as one was from tenants of the apartment building that claimed the company had informed them erroneously that the blaze was extinguished. The other was from Michael Davidson’s widow, who claimed that Class 5 actually removed fire prevention systems from the building.

This is the latest obstacle that’s befallen Motherless Brooklyn, as it’s a project that’s already taken over a decade to get into production. A project very near and dear to Norton, the film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by author Jonathan Lethem, which tells the story of a man with Tourette’s Syndrome trying to solve the murder of a local mobster.

It’s up to the law to determine whether the loss of life on Motherless Brooklyn is a case of gross negligence on any person’s part, or if this was merely an accident that took the life of a brave firefighter answering the call of service. However this ends up, at the very least, we should hope that the victims of this event can find peace and that measures are taken to make sure that accidents such as these happen less frequently during any future film productions.

Motherless Brooklyn has been set for a November 1 release date, but should that change for any reason we’ll provide the updated information as it breaks.

Even Disneyland Cast Members Will Have Trouble Getting Into Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge When It Opens

Even Disneyland Cast Members Will Have Trouble Getting Into Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge When It Opens

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is going to be the hottest ticket Disneyland has ever seen when it opens next month. Simply getting into the land is going to require guests make a reservation for the first three weeks. Those who book rooms at Disneyland Resort hotels during the reservation period will receive a reservation automatically.

Once that period is over things may get even more crowded as everybody in the park tries to make their way to Black Spire Outpost. Normally, being an employee has its privileges, but it appears that being a Disneyland cast member won't help you get onto Batuu, as cast member passes are apparently blacked out for most or all of this summer at least.

Normally, when a Disneyland cast member isn't working, they can enter the park almost at their leisure, and they can even bring a limited number of friends with them, by simply requesting a pass. However, as Disney theme park YouTuber Disney Dan revealed yesterday, if a Disney cast member attempts to request a pass right now, they are subject to serious blackout restrictions. Every date between May 16 (according to ThrillGeek) and August 31 is currently blacked out. That's as far out as the calendar currently runs, so the daily blackout may run even longer.

Star Wars; Galaxy's Edge is set to open at Disneyland on May 31 so the blackout begins two weeks prior to opening and runs through at least the next three months. If an employee at Disneyland wants to try and get into Galaxy's Edge any sooner, they'll have to buy a ticket like everybody else, though they will have normal access to the Disneyland Resort's other park, Disney California Adventure.

Disneyland is doing everything that it can to manage the massive crowds that are expected to swarm the Disneyland Resort when Galaxy's Edge opens. Early estimates were that the resort could see 150,000-200,000 people on opening day, far more than the park can actually hold. With the announcement of the reservation system those numbers will likely be greatly reduced, but obviously, Disney Parks want to get as many paying guests into the park as possible, which means the cast members that don't need to buy tickets will have to wait until things die down.

One assumes that similar restrictions will impact cast members looking to get into Disney's Hollywood Studios starting in August, when that resort's version of Galaxy's Edge opens. Although, the fact that it will opening near the end of the busy summer season might mean the restrictions won't last quite as long. That park will not be subject to the early reservation system that Disneyland is seeing.

The good news is that Disneyland cast members won't be left entirely out in the cold. They were recently informed that there will be a special cast member-only event at Galaxy's Edge before the new land opens to the public. This is nice to hear. It's one thing to be a regular guest and have to put off making a trip because the crowds will just be too much. It's another thing to have to work right next to the place every day and not be able to see what's there.

Avengers: Endgame’s Pre-Sales Are Breaking Records

Avengers: Endgame’s Pre-Sales Are Breaking Records

Tickets for Avengers: Endgame only went on sale this morning, but this is one of the most anticipated movies in years. You can be sure that means that a lot of people jumped online immediately to make sure they had their tickets for opening night. Atom Tickets says that the first hour of ticket sales for Endgame is the biggest single hour the site has ever seen, selling three times more tickets in that time than Avengers: Infinity War did last year.

In addition, Fandango is reporting that Avengers:Endgame has already set the record for most ticket pre-sales in a single day, a feat which it accomplished in only six hours. It took the top spot away from previous record holder, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

While breaking the record for the first hour might not seem like a lot, it shows just how many people aren't simply planning on being there when Endgame opens, but want to make absolutely sure they are. There are going to be so many screenings of the movie at so many theaters that getting a ticket to the movie isn't going to be a problem, but if you want to be sure you're at a particular showing at a particular theater, or that you get the best seat, assuming you're looking at a reserved seat theater, then you're not going to wait around.

The new record is that much more impressive when you take into consideration a couple of factors. Tickets went on sale so early in the morning that a decent part of the west coast was probably still asleep, or at least not at their computers, meaning that the massive increase in sales came largely from only certain areas. Those on the west coast almost certainly jumped on buying tickets as soon as they realized they were available, but they likely missed the record setting first hour.

On top of that, several of the ticket purchasing websites had, and even now are still having, some significant issues due to the influx of people trying to buy tickets all at the same time. Ticket sales likely would have been even greater if everybody who wanted to buy tickets had been able to do so more easily. That's one area where the west coast likely benefited, since they weren't necessarily trying to buy when the rest of the country was.

If these pre-sale numbers are predictive of the film's overall success, and they likely are, then we could be getting ready for one of the biggest opening weekends in movie history. The entire Marvel Cinematic Universe has been building up to Avengers: Endgame and that means even if you haven't been there opening night for every entry, you'll want to be there for this one to see how it ends.

Avengers: Infinity War made over $2 billion around the world already, just how much better could Endgame actually do? Only three films have ever done better at the box office (in non-inflation adjusted dollars). Overcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Titanic seems quite possible, but if the movie that's currently tracking three times better than Infinity War can do even 30% more total business, it could become the highest grossing movie ever made.

Why James Gunn's Rehiring Is A Truly Great Thing For Comic Book Movies

Why James Gunn's Rehiring Is A Truly Great Thing For Comic Book Movies

In the last year, few stories rocked the superhero movie world harder than the firing of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 writer/director James Gunn. It was revealed that the filmmaker had posted some extremely inappropriate jokes on social media earlier in his career, and given how they clashed with the larger reputation of the Walt Disney Company it was decided by the studio to let Gunn go.

It was a situation where the consequences for the industry were immediately understood – and they were bad. For starters there was the fact that the move would certainly delay Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which was a big deal just because it disrupted the tightly organized release schedule for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and therefore put the whole thing in flux. The worse side, however, was the stain that was left on Marvel Studios’ reputation when it came to filmmaker relationships. Not only was it instantly clear how challenging it would be to replace Gunn on the space opera sequel, but it created a question of whether or not Marvel really had the backs of the writers and directors it employed.

Those were talking points that lasted for months, but disappeared in a puff of smoke late last week when it was revealed that the whole ordeal had been resolved, and that James Gunn would be returning to make Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3. This was news rightly met with wide-spread celebration, primarily because the filmmaker will have the opportunity to complete his vision for the blockbuster trilogy – but the positives actually go far beyond that. Because of extenuating circumstances in the matter, including other projects that are currently in the works, the move is actually far more significant for the world of superhero movies than it appears on the surface, and it could lead to a tremendously bright future.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Gets Made As It Was Intended

To start with the obvious, there is the fact that James Gunn’s rehiring turns Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 back into a viable project. While it’s true that Gunn’s influence on the film was always going to be present, as firm plans were made to continue using the script he wrote, that was never going to be enough. Not only did the cast write and sign an open letter requesting the writer/director’s return, but it was made very clear that many filmmakers were not going to “cross the picket line” by taking the job (with individuals like Edgar Wright, Chris Miller, and Taika Waititi all publicly expressing their support of Gunn). While not technically impossible, movies generally don’t get made without having directors attached, and it was clear that finding a replacement was going to be a herculean task.

Now, of course, that entire situation is resolved. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 clearly won’t happen on its original schedule (it was initially set up as a 2020 release), but it will still be a tentpole release put out as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Four plans. Twenty years from now we won’t look back on the film primarily because of all the behind-the-scenes issues, but instead see it as one of the surprisingly rare cases of a filmmaker getting to orchestrate an entire comic book movie trilogy. In one swift move, the ultimate legacy of the film changed (assuming everything goes swimmingly from here on out, of course).

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 isn’t the only project directly affected by these developments, however, as James Gunn chose to keep busy during his months away from Marvel. But that just adds to the positives here…

James Gunn Still Gets To Make His Vision Of The Suicide Squad

After losing his job, James Gunn opted not to stay unemployed very long, and that brought him across town to what many recognize as Marvel’s biggest competitor: Warner Bros.’ DC Extended Universe. In October 2018 it was revealed that Gunn had entered talks with the studio to help them make The Suicide Squad, to which he was originally attached only as a writer, before taking the director gig as well a few months later. It was actually a major coup for Warners, as they had successfully lured one of Marvel’s most popular writer/directors to their fold, and what makes the situation even greater is that the deal seems to be totally unaffected by the most recent Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 news.

Despite the fact that James Gunn is now back working as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, his deal to make The Suicide Squad is still intact, and plans are moving forward to have the blockbuster in theaters August 6, 2021. And this is a wonderful thing. Weird as it is, Gunn has been talking about making this kind of comic book film for years, and it’s a project that is right up his alley when you consider his sensibilities (as seen in movies like Super and Slither). It should obviously be very different than Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3, but that by itself is actually part of what makes its development so exciting.

While he’s written and produced other material in the time since he’s been working with Marvel, James Gunn has been mostly living and breathing Guardians of the Galaxy for the majority of the last six years, and part of what makes The Suicide Squad so exciting is the way in which it will allow the writer/director to really stretch his muscles in other arenas. Characters like Harley Quinn and Deadshot are quite different than the likes of Star-Lord and Drax, and orchestrating their crazy/criminal behavior while executing deadly black ops missions for the government could be a perfect creative outlet for him that also happens to give him a bit of distance and perspective on his Marvel work. So not only might we get Gunn’s unique vision of what a Suicide Squad movie could be, but making it before the trilogy capper could lead the latter film to be that much better.

We’re now getting two potentially awesome blockbusters instead of just one, and that by itself is an exciting prospect. But also not to be ignored is the way that it can influence the competition between the two biggest comic book movie brands in the world.

The Marvel Vs. DC Divide Can Mend A Bit

The rivalry that perpetuates between Marvel and DC has been around basically as long as the two companies have both existed – notably not only affecting things behind the scenes from a creative perspective, but also regularly inflaming their respective devoted fan bases. This, naturally, has very much continued into the big screen age, as aficionados can debate for hours the superiority of the Captain America trilogy over Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight movies, and vice versa. Logic would dictate that comic book fans should equally enjoy both brands and the different storytelling they are delivering (and, like myself, many do), but still it stands as a famed pop culture point of contention.

Nothing will ever stop individuals comparing and debating the merits of the Marvel Cinematic Universe versus the DC Extended Universe, but the current situation with James Gunn weirdly offers a situation that fans have never experienced before – and it could wind up having some fascinating results. It’s a bit more long term, but there is some excellent potential that exists behind the idea of fans uniting behind the work of a filmmaker who can make positive contributions to both franchises (especially if The Suicide Squad and Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 are as different films as we expect them to be). People will always have preferences, but it’s nice to think of the peace that could come from movie-goers everywhere uniting in support of Gunn’s talents.

It should be recognized that this isn’t the first time in recent history that a Marvel filmmaker has worked on a DC project, but given the extremely different circumstances we can probably assume that things will go better this time around than what ended up happening with Joss Whedon’s attempt to save Justice League. They kind of have to, right?

But it’s not just the big brands that are being benefited by these turn of events, as another smaller superhero feature could wind up getting a nice boost from the situation as well.

Brightburn Isn’t Surrounded By Distraction

In the immediate wake of last year’s James Gunn controversy, one film that got unfortunately shafted was David Yarovesky's Brightburn. Produced by Gunn and written by his brother, Brian, and cousin, Mark, the movie had a big Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con scheduled mere hours after the Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 news, and not only was the presentation cancelled, but the film was delayed. For the longest time it looked like it was going to be a victim of circumstance beyond its purview, but that’s totally changed now that the whole matter has been resolved.

Brightburn, which is basically the Superman origin story with a horror twist, is scheduled to be released on May 24th, and the environment in which it will now be released is completely different than how it appeared it would be just a few days ago. As things initially stood, the Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 firing would have been a huge distraction from the release of the film, but now all of that talk has been neutralized. Sure, there will likely still be tons of Guardians and The Suicide Squad quotes floating around, especially if James Gunn winds up doing a fair amount of press for the release, but the context of it all will be totally different, and potentially beneficial.

It was never obvious how the whole situation with James Gunn and Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 was going to play out, but now that the dust is settling we can see that things have worked out quite spectacularly. There is a lot to be excited about following these developments, and it could mean a lot of great things to come in the future of comic book and superhero big screen storytelling.