2/16/2014

Rumor: Marvel's Phase Three Includes Doctor Strange, but No 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Sequel


While there's still a good deal of Marvel's Phase Two left, plans are already underway for Phase Three. And that of course means the rumors are already flying around about which films will comprise the next blockbuster line-up. Release dates seem to be locked in place, and we know Ant-Man will be amongst them, with development on Captain America and Thor sequels having begun. But we've also heard promises of a Doctor Strange film and some early buzz about Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Will either of those films make the cut? A new rumor has emerged that claims to have the answer.

According to the guys at Schomes Know (judge accordingly), the "absolute certain" line-up for Phase Three is Ant-Man, Captain America 3, Thor 3, The Avengers 3, and Doctor Strange. Marvel President Kevin Feige has basically been confirming Doctor Strange for awhile, so that's not much of a surprise. But what about 'Guardians 2'? The site's source claims that Marvel always envisioned it as a "one and done", and that continues to be their mindset unless that has suddenly changed in the last couple of weeks. The recent rumors of a sequel would seem to suggest their opinion has changed, but none of this can be taken as gospel until we hear some confirmations. The source continues on by saying...

"They only have so many films they can do each year and they don’t want them all to be trilogies to where they’re just dealing with the same handful of characters for the next 5-10 years."

But that doesn't really make sense considering most of these franchises have been staggered. Iron Man is done; Captain America and Thor are on the verge of completing their trilogies, which would open up room for two more. And in regards to new franchises, Black Panther and Inhumans are still in the pipeline but still a ways off.

Other than the Guardians of the Galaxy bit, none of this is particularly special. They go on to say that an announcement will come at Comic-Con, which is pretty much a given, right?