13 directors who would be worthy replacements for James Gunn on 'Guardians of the Galaxy 3'

Credits include: "Bring It On," "Yes Man," "Ant-Man," "Ant-Man and the Wasp"

Reed came on the first "Ant-Man" late after original director Edgar Wright left, but he showed a better handling of the Marvel universe and its blend of action and comedy with "Ant-Man and the Wasp." One could assume he'd be right at home if he were to direct a "Guardians" movie.

Credits include: "What We Do In The Shadows," "Hunt for the Wilderpeople," "Thor: Ragnarok"

Waititi's "Thor: Ragnarok" is as close to a "Guardians" movie in tone as any other Marvel movie, which makes him a no-brainer. The only problem is that he's currently filming war-comedy "Jojo Rabbit," which could cause scheduling conflicts.

Credits include: "Blockers"

Marvel has shown that it values comedic filmmaking talent just as much, if not more than, the ability to direct action. It found that in the Russo Brothers, who came from TV sitcoms like "Arrested Development" and "Community" and went on to make "The Winter Soldier," "Civil War," and "Infinity War" for Marvel. Marvel could find that again in someone like Cannon, whose "Blockers" is one of the funniest movies of the year.

Credits include: "The Cabin the Woods," "The Good Place"

Goddard's "Cabin in the Woods" was a horror movie with a ridiculous, comedic twist that would make him an ideal candidate to replace Gunn. He's currently attached to direct Fox's "Deadpool 2" spinoff movie "X-Force," but with Disney ready to acquire Fox assets, it's unknown what will become of that movie.

Credits include: "The Italian Job," "Law Abiding Citizen," "Straight Outta Compton," "The Fate of the Furious"

Gray's "The Fate of the Furious" was far from the best in the franchise, but he showed off his skill directing action sequences with a comedic punch to them.

Credits include: "Kubo and the Two Strings," "Bumblebee"

Knight's "Transformers" spinoff "Bumblebee" comes to theaters later this year, which would free him up to take on another blockbuster. The movie looks like a fun, family-friendly, and smaller-scaled "Transformers" movie compared to Michael Bay's bloated and nauseating ones. And Knight's "Kubo" was widely acclaimed, with a 97% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for the best animated feature Oscar.

Credits include: "Better Call Saul," "Modern Family," "Westworld," "The Leftovers," "Game of Thrones," "The Walking Dead," "Breaking Bad"

MacLaren is one of the best television directors in the business, and while her past work has mostly been in serious dramas like "Breaking Bad" and "Game of Thrones," there's no doubt that she'd be able to make a "Guardians" movie all her own.

Credits include: "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," "The Good Place," "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," "Modern Family," "30 Rock"

Another television director with an impressive resume, McCarthy-Miller, as opposed to MacLaren, has her roots in comedy. As mentioned, Marvel likes to seek out up-and-coming filmmakers, and isn't afraid to snatch TV directors up for its blockbusters.

Credits include: "Jack Reacher," "Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation," "Mission: Impossible — Fallout"

McQuarrie's two "Mission: Impossible" movies have been highly acclaimed, and this week's "Fallout" has a 97% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie's action sequences are already being praised as among the best in the franchise, and the movies are able to blend action/adventure and humor seamlessly.

Credits include: "Vacation," "Game Night"

Daley and Goldstein have worked with Marvel before as writers on "Spider-Man: Homecoming." But they're currently attached to direct the "Flash" movie for DC and Warner Bros.

Credits include: "Selma," "13th," "A Wrinkle in Time"

Marvel showed an interest in DuVernay for "Black Panther," which she declined and made Disney's "A Wrinkle in Time" instead. That movie disappointed critically and commercially, and she's on board to direct DC and Warner Bros.' "New Gods" movie.

Credits include: "21 Jump Street," "The LEGO Movie," "22 Jump Street"

Lord and Miller were infamously fired from directing "Solo: A Star Wars Story" and replaced by Ron Howard. They were reportedly making the movie too much like "Guardians of the Galaxy." It's too bad their relationship with Disney was likely tarnished. Nobody could have predicted they might have a chance to direct an actual "Guardians" movie.