Karen Gillan: The 'Guardians of the Galaxy 3' script left me 'in floods of tears' (exclusive)

Watch: Karen Gillan shares Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 details

A daughter of Thanos 'in floods of tears'? It’s hard to imagine but when Karen Gillan – better known to Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fans as the troubled Nebula - finished reading the Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 script, she was overcome and the tears flowed.

Speaking to Yahoo ahead of the release of her latest film, the neon-soaked action thriller Gunpowder Milkshake, she described how she and co-star Pom Klementieff, who plays Mantis, read the script for what may well be the last big screen outing for Peter Quill and the gang.

Read more: Gunpowder Milkshake had 'most intense' action training

“We read it in the same room together, and then looked at each other and we were in floods of tears,” she says.

Exactly what made her reach for the tissues she wouldn’t reveal, but she described it as 'so emotional'.

"You’re learning more about existing characters and on a deeper level. I’m really excited at exploring Nebula, post-Thanos,” she says.

Filming is due to start towards the end of the year.

Director/writer James Gunn returns to the helm for the Guardians’ third outing, which is scheduled for release in May 2023 and, while details of the plot are under wraps, he’s already teased a darker narrative, talking about “a pretty heavy story” and “an emotional process to go through.” Which probably accounts for Gillan’s and Klementieff’s tears.

The film is set to bring about the end of the current team on screen, with Dave Bautista already having ruled out another movie for himself as Drax. If news of Michael Rooker’s absence as Yondu is correct, it’s unlikely to be a prequel.

Read more: James Gunn gets candid about being fired by Disney

Instead, the action takes place after Thor: Love And Thunder, which lands in cinemas in May 2022, and is the next time we’ll see Quill And Co in cinemas.

Former Doctor Who companion Gillan returns as Nebula in both movies. Now an MCU regular since her first appearance as Thor’s conflicted adopted daughter in 2014, her character started out as a trained assassin but is now more of an anti-hero.

There are definite echoes of her role in Gunpowder Milkshake, where she plays the hit-woman for a crime syndicate, who becomes their number one target when a mission goes badly wrong.

Gunpowder Milkshake is in cinemas and on Sky Cinema on 17 September. Thor: Love And Thunder is scheduled for release in cinemas on 6 May 2022.

Watch a trailer for Gunpowder Milkshake