No, Taika Waititi is not directing Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3, so stop asking

Ever since Disney fired James Gunn from Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 after some old, problematic tweets resurfaced last summer, the media mega-corporation has been scrambling to find a director to replace him, even putting the production on hold until they find someone. A number of names have been tossed around as potential replacements—like Vice director Adam McKay, who was approached by Marvel in December, or Jon Favreau, who kickstarted the MCU with the first two Iron Man movies.

But the fan favorite choice for the gig seems to be Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi, who brought comedy, splashy visuals, and critical acclaim to the Thor franchise. But unfortunately for those fans, Waititi isn’t looking to step into James Gunn’s shoes any time soon. When asked about directing Guardians 3 at a TCA panel for What We Do in the Shadows, Waititi had this to say:

For me, those are James’ films. Going into something like that with his stamp all over his films, would be like going into someone’s house and saying ‘Hey, I’m your new dad, and this is how we make peanut butter sandwiches now.’ It feels kind of awkward.

Fans who want to see Waititi direct another Marvel movie can rest easy, though. The director made it clear that he still wants to do another movie with Marvel, and assures us that he and Marvel are currently “talking about new stuff.”