'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3:' Fly away into the forever with Marvel Studios' new featurette

Marvel Studios' upcoming "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" will not just be the bittersweet swan song for this family of intrepid space heroes. It's also a last MCU dance for director James Gunn, who has so admirably helmed the entire trilogy and recently jumped ship to oversee the retooling of the DC Cinematic Universe.

When May 5 arrives, fans might not be quite prepared for one final cosmic adventure to wish their cherished crusaders farewell, but all good things must come to an end. It's been one helluva ride since the "Guardians" first burst from the pages of Marvel Comics and into the limelight of the silver screen back in 2014. Presale tickets are now on sale, and the anticipation is reaching beyond the boiling point.

A new "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" featurette recently launched, with Chris Pratt going rogue on set with a handheld camera, Zoe Saldana geeking out behind the scenes, producer Kevin Feige reminding us that it's all about "found family," James Gunn adding that everything driving this cosmic tale has "that emotional center," Dave Bautista letting fans know how proud he is of everything they've accomplished in the series, and Rocket Raccoon flying away "into the forever, and beautiful sky."

Related: Marvel movies, ranked worst to best

• Want to watch The Guardians of the Galaxy on Disney Plus? You can get a 7-day free trial here.

• Sign up for Disney Plus for $6.99/month

Here's the official synopsis:

Our beloved band of misfits are settling into life on Knowhere. But it isn't long before their lives are upended by the echoes of Rocket's turbulent past. Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him on a dangerous mission to save Rocket's life — a mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.

"It's imagination, music, beautiful imagery. It's really a fantastic story from the brain of a mad genius, James Gunn," Pratt declares in the featurette.

The main cast roll call for both new and returning actors includes: Chris Pratt (Peter Quill/Star-Lord), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Dave Bautista (Drax), Vin Diesel (Groot), Bradley Cooper (Rocket Raccoon), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Pom Klementieff (Mantis), Sean Gunn (Kraglin), Elizabeth Debicki (Ayesha), Sylvester Stallone (Stakar Ogord), Will Poulter (Adam Warlock), Chukwudi Iwuji (High Evolutionary), and Maria Bakalova (Cosmo the Spacedog).

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" arrives in theaters on May 5.

Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.