Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, Preview, streaming, Trailer, TV | Tagged: disney plus, gotg, guardians of the galaxy, holiday special, james gunn, Marvel Studios

Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special BTS; James Gunn/Kevin Bacon

With Marvel Studios, Disney+ & (new DC Studios co-boss) James Gunn's The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special arriving in a week, early reviews are coming in & things are looking really, really good. Earlier today, Gunn took to still-around Twitter to confirm that a holiday "Awesome Mix" (with original songs) is on its way and throw cold water on any rumblings that Silver Surfer appears in a post-credit scene. This time around, Gunn formally introduces us to his "favorite character in the MCU," Kevin Bacon (no spoilers, but he's excellent), and shares how the famous actor got involved with the special. Following that, we have a holiday-themed look at how it all came together to pass along.

Here's a look at Gunn formally introducing Bacon and then explaining how easy it was to get him to join in on the fun:

And here's a look at a mini featurette released earlier today offering some behind-the-scenes insight into how it all came together:

So What's The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special All About?

Set to hit screens on November 25th, the special finds Peter/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) seriously bummed out by the holidays for some very understandable reasons. For perspective, the special is set between Thor: Love and Thunder and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, in case that helps. To cheer him up, Drax (David Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) set off to find him the ultimate Christmas gift. But when that "ultimate Christmas gift" happens to be located on Earth and just so happens to be named "Kevin Bacon"? Well… that's when things get complicated. Here's a look back at the official trailer for Marvel Studios' The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, set to hit Disney+screens beginning on November 25th:

Previously, Gunn emphasized that this will be a "TV special" and not a short film. And after Werewolf by Night, it felt like it would end up under the "Special Presentation" banners (which it is, and it's a concept we're liking more and more). And for those of you thinking "Star Wars Holiday Special," you should know that Gunn loved it when he was a kid (so did we). The concept behind the special is something that Gunn had written up as a treatment "years ago" but finished the script in April 2021. And then in an interview with Collider in support of The Suicide Squad, Gunn explained further why when it airs (and where it sits on the timeline) matters, as well as first revealing his plan to film it during GotG3 filming. "It's in-canon, it's about the Guardians, you're gonna learn stuff that you need to learn before Volume 3, and it's great I'm really happy with it," he explained. Gunn is also doubled up on production, with the special filmed at the same time as the film. "I'm gonna film it at the same time as the movie. I'm using a lot of the same sets, the same actors obviously, so we're filming simultaneously with the film, but it's gonna have to be edited and finished sooner," Gunn revealed.

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