Early preproduction for Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been halted, and the film is being put on hold, THR is reporting.

Despite the recent high profile firing of director James Gunn (see “Disney Fires James Gunn”), prepping for preproduction had begun, since principal photography was set to begin in early 2019. But sources told THR that workers were being dismissed last week, and told they are free to look for new work.

One source characterized it as a “regrouping,” with Marvel and Disney actively looking for a director for the project. The first film grossed $773 million worldwide, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 grossed $863 million, raising the star profiles of franchise leads Chris Pratt (Star-Lord), Zoe Saldana (Gamora) and David Bautista (Drax).

The stars are not happy about Gunn’s firing. They, along with the main cast, sent a letter to the studio asking for Gunn’s reinstatement on July 30.

Disney had not officially scheduled a release date for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.