'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' release date and updates: Director James Gunn has shot the next three Stan Lee cameos

The obligatory Stan Lee cameo has been a staple of movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) even before "Iron Man" back in 2008. At 93 years old, however, Stan Lee doesn't have the energy or time to keep travelling to movie sets to shoot scenes. Reports said that his next appearances have already been shot, and they were overseen by none other than "Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, "Doctor Strange" director Scott Derrickson revealed that the Stan Lee cameo in his movie was directed by Gunn. He said, ""It's a big deal for a 93-year-old man to go to a movie set and spend a day shooting. James shot four cameos with Stan in one day. James was texting me the frame. Does this look right? Does this look good?"

In a post on Facebook, Gunn himself has also commented on his work on the cameos, and he said, "There are few people in this world I love and admire more and have more fun with than Stan Lee. Even though he does love breaking my, and everyone else's balls (I introduced him to Tom Holland for the first time and he said, "Everyone says you're great! Personally, I don't see it."). Although, to be honest, I think I only did THREE cameos - one was shot by someone else. And my third probably isn't what you think it is."

Gunn also added that the cameo chosen for "Doctor Strange" is one of the many different versions that he shot, and Derrickson was the one who chose which would be used for the movie. Gunn also urged people in his message to watch "Doctor Strange" in IMAX if they could.

The next movie in phase 3 of the MCU is James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," and it's likely that fans will get another Stan Lee cameo then.

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" hits theaters on April 25, 2017.