The wait for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been punishingly long for MCU fans, as the threequel ended up being pushed back a full three years from its original planned release in 2020. The good news is that, a few months before the threequel gets here next May, Marvel will be treating us to a one-off live-action TV event featuring Chris Pratt and his cosmic crew — The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
With the special shooting alongside Vol. 3, which is in the middle of production, hardly anything is known about the special as yet, but we can rest assured that it’s definitely debuting this year. While speaking to Radio Times, writer/director James Gunn confirmed that the Holiday Special will be arriving this holiday season. “And it’s out pretty soon,” the filmmaker promised. “You know, it’s out this Christmas. It’s not like people have to wait that long.”
In the same interview, Gunn hyped up the project as something “totally ridiculous” that’s “unlike anything that anyone’s ever seen before.” The Suicide Squad helmer even called it “the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my life.” And that’s really saying something, coming from the man who gave us that Justice League scene in the Peacemaker finale.
Again, details are thin on the ground but we can presumably expect Pratt to reprise his role as Star-Lord in the special, alongside Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Dave Bautista (Drax), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Pom Klementieff (Mantis), Bradley Cooper (Rocket), and Vin Diesel (Groot). It’s possible some other players from Vol. 3 will feature, too, like Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock.
With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which enters theaters next May 5, wrapping up the saga for good, it means a lot that we’ve got an extra nugget of cosmic craziness to come from these beloved characters when The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special premieres on Disney Plus this Christmas.