Credit: Marvel StudiosEver since the Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special was announced at the Disney Investor Event on December 10, 2020, fans have been hoping for more details about the festive program, slated for Disney+ release this winter. Following the news that the Guardians cast is reportedly done with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, many wondered if any of the original cast would step off of the Benatar for the holiday special.
James Gunn, the director of the holiday special and other Guardians films, was the one to announce that the franchise was coming to an end:
“This is the end for us, the last time people will see this team of Guardians…I just want to be true to the characters, the story and give people the wrap-up that they deserve for the story. That’s always a little bit scary; I’m doing my best.”
It does seem, however, that many fan-favorite characters were already under contract through the Holiday Special, as evidenced by footage of the Marvel show being filmed near Grauman’s Chinese Theater in the Los Angeles area last week:
SPOILER! I was in Hollywood on Thursday and got this video from across the street. They were shooting a new Marvel Special for Disney+. (Info in Comments) from disney
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In the clip, a camera follows Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Drax (Dave Bautista) as they walk down the busy Hollywood Blvd.
Mantis stops briefly to look at a street performer disguised as a statue, and appears to get spooked before continuing towards the iconic Chinese Theater.
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In the comments, Reddit user u/iggyfenton shares that it appeared the characters were visiting the theater to see a premiere of Marvel’s Eternals‘ character, Kingo’s (Kumail Nanjiani) new film. You can further see these details on posters for a film titled Haxan’s Haxaner as the characters pass by amid festive decorations and extras in holiday fare:
It looks like they are visiting the Mann’s Chinese Theater to see the premiere of Kingo’s new movie (look at the posters they pass by.)
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Upon arrival to the theater, Mantis and Drax are greeted by street performers representing some other familiar MCU faces including The Avengers’ Captain America and Ant-Man.
In the same comment, u/iggyfenton also suggests the characters may visit a drag performance based on sets he saw set up a few blocks away from the Chinese Theater. However, the user didn’t offer any footage of this area:
There was also stuff set up a few blocks away that makes it seem they will visit a drag show of some kind
For further info on the special, fans might just have to wait until later this year.
More on Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 1. (2014)
The official description of GotG reads:
An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits–Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon; Groot, a tree-like humanoid; the deadly and enigmatic Gamora; and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand–with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.
Are you excited for the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special? Do you think it will compare to 1978’s original Star Wars Holiday Special?