Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is still lightyears away — we won’t get to see it until 2023. However, we’ve got a Guardians holiday special to look forward to in December 2022. This is the first time a Marvel franchise is doing a special like this, and I can’t think of a better group to spend the holidays with. I can see it now: Star Lord in a Santa hat, Groot decorated as a Christmas tree, Rocket chugging way too much eggnog…it writes itself!
Director James Gunn is pretty hyped about the holiday special. And as he told Collider, it’s not just a throw-away project. “It’s in-canon, it’s about the Guardians, you’re gonna learn stuff that you need to learn before Vol. 3, and it’s great I’m really happy with it.”
Yup, in-canon! So if you want to follow along with the story, watching the holiday special is a must.
Side note: I would have loved to see Chris Hemsworth’s Thor celebrating the holidays with the Guardians, but with Thor: Love and Thunder releasing in May 2022, it’s likely he will part ways with them before it comes out. Sigh, missed opportunity.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be filmed at the same time as the holiday special
Gunn also shared some tidbits about the timing involved. “You know, I’m using a lot of the same sets, same actors, obviously. So, we’re filming simultaneously with the film but it’s going to have to be edited way sooner,” he said. “But it’s not long—not too long, since it’s a Christmas special…t’s under 40 minutes.”
At this point, we have no idea what the special will be about, but whatever Gunn has in store will be surely fun to watch. Well, as long as he doesn’t bring his “superhero movies are boring” energy to it.
Filming for the special and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are set to begin production in November, with the movie coming out on May 23, 2023.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime, and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels
h/t The A.V. Club