Canceled ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Spin-Off Series Now Moving Forward as New MCU Movie

Nearly a year after the release of the last Marvel Cinematic Universe film, the beloved franchise is about to come back in full force with the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day and the trailer for Avengers: Doomsday. Even with all eyes on concluding the Multiverse Saga, Marvel Studios needs to start planning ahead for what titles audiences will see following Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027. After years of languishing in development hell, Marvel Studios is finally giving one of its heroes an upgrade with a potential big-screen movie overseen by the creator of one of the MCU’s most acclaimed series.

Deadline has confirmed that writer Michael Waldron is developing a Nova film for Marvel Studios. Waldron created the Disney+ series Loki and he also served as writer on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and is a co-writer on Doomsday. Nova is still reportedly in the early stages of development, with Waldron currently only set to pen the script but could also potentially direct the project. Disney and Waldron have yet to comment.

Canceled ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Spin-Off Series Now Moving Forward as New MCU Movie — A still featuring the classic Marvel Comics hero known as Nova

Nova was originally announced in 2023 as a Disney+ series with Sabir Pirzada writing. However, in 2025, Nova and the potential series Strange Academy and Terror Inc. were put on hold. The decision was made as part of Marvel Studios’ plans to reevaluate their upcoming slate. Nova now marks the second MCU title previously announced as a television series to shift to a feature film, the other being the still-unproduced Armor Wars. Waldron’s involvement in Nova first emerged at the beginning of July, when a leak of his WGA card listed the project among his credits.

The seeds for Nova were first introduced in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, which established the Nova Corps to the MCU. 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War established that Thanos laid waste to Xandar and the Nova Corps off-screen, potentially setting up the origin story of Marvel Comics’ most famous Nova, Richard Rider. Created by Marv Wolfman and Jon Romita Sr., Richard Rider debuted in The Man Called Nova #1 in 1976. He was a teenage superhero in the mold of Spider-Man, equipped with the technology of an intergalactic peacekeeping officer. Nova went on to become a major figure in the Marvel Universe, serving as a member of The New Warriors, Secret Avengers, and the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Nova marks the third post-Secret Wars film in development at Marvel Studios after X-Men and Black Panther 3. Phase Seven, now referred to by fans as the Mutant Saga, is still in the early stages of development. Including Nova among the potential first films in this new age of the MCU suggests some interesting developments. Richard Rider could take on the MCU’s teenage-superhero role, now that Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is well into his college years. Nova’s cosmic connection could also tie into the future of the X-Men, including aliens such as the Brood hive mind, the Shi’ar Empire, and eventually the Phoenix Force.