In April 2021, I began work with Marvel Studios for the 3rd and final installment of Guardians of the Galaxy, directed by James Gunn, with production design by Beth Mickle and Supervising Art Direction by Dave Scott.  The budget for this film was set at $250 million.  According to Wikipedia, the film would go on to gross $845 million worldwide, making it the 4th highest grossing film of 2023.  With principal photography to begin at Trilith Studios in November, we had 6 months to design and build the sets for the film during the peak of the supply chain crisis.

The Knowhere spaceport set in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 stands as one of Marvel’s most ambitious physical builds to date. Under the Art Direction of Sam Avila, the once-digital environment was transformed into a fully realized, practical set spanning nearly 40,000 square feet. Constructed on multiple sound stages, the redesigned Knowhere featured 20 custom-built structures, some rising up to four stories high, allowing cast and crew to film in a richly textured, interconnected alien city without relying heavily on green screens. This immersive design gave the spaceport a gritty, lived-in authenticity about it.  The sheer scale and attention to detail made Knowhere one of the most impressive and immersive sets I have worked on in my career.

I designed many tertiary elements for the Knowhere.  The Boot of Jemiah is a seedy bar.  I designed the entrance based on a concept by Fausto de Martini.  Above is the initial concept of the bar entrance. below are set photos of the interior and exterior.  The finish and detail was astounding.  Many of the painters and sculptors I had also worked with on Avengers.  Photos are courtesy of Sam Avila.

One of the most impressive feats of production design in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was the construction of the Bowie, the Guardians’ new spaceship. Under the Art Direction of Alex McCarroll, the Bowie was Marvel Studios’ largest practical set ever built—a massive, fully connected, four-story interior spanning 20,000 square feet. Unlike most sci-fi sets, which are often modular or green-screen-heavy, the Bowie allowed actors to move naturally through fully built corridors, control rooms, and living quarters in a single, immersive environment. This gave the director more flexibility with camera work and blocking.

Below are some shots from the film which underwent some modifications from the early design concepts that I put forward.  In the interest of time and budget, it was cut down to a single engine.

Below are some early concept models I designed Solidworks.  Many elements of the initial design would not survive the inflationary environment that we were operating in.  As we entered the construction phase, we were told that our set which was budgeted originally at 1.5 million only 2 months earlier, had ballooned to over 2.2 million.  Massive cuts had to be made very quickly.  The result was to remove one of the engines and reduce the overall footprint of the set by 40 percent.  Much of the detail went with it, but thanks to lighting and cameras, it was hardly noticeable in the final frame

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), directed and written by James Gunn, marked the conclusion to the Guardians trilogy. The film had a production budget of approximately $250 million and was primarily shot at Trilith Studios in Georgia between November 2021 and May 2022. It featured extensive visual effects, with over 2,000 VFX shots, and a soundtrack carefully curated by Gunn that played a key role in the film’s tone and storytelling. Upon release, the film earned $845 million worldwide, making it one of the top-grossing films of 2023. It received critical acclaim, with an 82% Rotten Tomatoes score and strong audience approval, praised for its emotional depth, performances, and visual spectacle.