Now that James Gunn’s long-awaited Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) has finally arrived in theaters, the director is taking fans behind the scenes to show off some next-level—and borderline disturbing—practical effects that went into its making.
The Guardians have officially wrapped up their time in the MCU with Vol. 3, which sees the return of familiar faces, including Star-Lord/Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Groot (Vin Diesel), and Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper).
Watch the official trailer for Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 below:
As shown in the trailer, Peter is still mourning the loss of Gamora after her death in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and often finds himself resorting to alcohol to ease the pain. Nebula can be seen scooping him up in her arms after a particularly messy night at the bar on Knowhere, but believe it or not, Karen Gillan isn’t actually holding Chris Pratt—but rather, a body double of sorts.
Gunn recently took to Twitter to share some funny behind-the-scenes clips from the making of Vol. 3. He gave a special shout-out to the award-winning FX Studio, Legacy Effects, for creating an eerily accurate replica of Pratt’s body for the scene where Nebula picks him up.
In the hilarious TikTok, Gillan can be seen cringing at the “out of body experience” of holding the Peter Quill dummy—complete with accurate proportions, costuming, and hair. The prop weighs roughly 35 pounds, making it significantly easier for Gillan to do the scene without the hassle of hooking Pratt up to wires.
The director wrote: “Our editor @FredRaskin asked us, about two weeks into editing this scene, where the wires were. He didn’t realize this incredible effect by @LegacyEffect wasn’t actually @prattprattpratt. Our special effects & makeup teams put their hearts into this film like everyone else.” Check out the full video below:
Our editor @FredRaskin asked us, about two weeks into editing this scene, where the wires were. He didn’t realize this incredible effect by @LegacyEffects wasn’t actually @prattprattpratt. Our special effects & makeup teams put their hearts into this film like everyone else.… pic.twitter.com/LdSvkPaDlY
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 6, 2023
Even if it dips slightly into the uncanny valley, it’s certainly impressive to see this Peter Quill “variant” in action, it still speaks to the wildly talented VFX teams that work with Marvel Studios.
Gunn joked that the prop “sat on the couch” in his office for a long time and “freaked people out,” though its whereabouts are now unknown—for now. If it hasn’t been destroyed, maybe we can expect to see it hit the auction block soon. Or better yet, maybe Pratt even took it home, something that would undoubtedly horrify his family.
What do you think of this impressive Chris Pratt/Peter Quill body replica? Share your thoughts in the comments below.