James Gunn Reveals When The Guardians Holiday Special Is Set While Teasing Completed Script

Rocket in Avengers: Endgame

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a massive place, and there are a few properties that have managed to become fan favorites. James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy is definitely one of those properties, and fans can’t wait to catch up with the motley crew of heroes. In addition to Thor 4 and Guardians 3, there’s also a Guardians Holiday special coming to Disney+. And Gunn just clarified the movie’s time setting while showing off the finished script.

While James Gunn recently went to DC for The Suicide Squad, he’s got a number of Guardians projects coming down the line for Marvel. Chief among them is the mysterious Holiday special, and it seems that the streaming event is coming together. James Gunn recently gave a glimpse at the script on Twitter, check it out below.

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Suddenly the Guardians of the Galaxy’s mysterious holiday special feels very real. While it’s sure to be a bonkers ride through the cosmos, James Gunn is good at tugging at your heart strings. The Guardians are their own weird family unit, and fans can’t wait to see how they celebrate.

The Guardians Holiday special will be available exclusively on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

After James Gunn shared the above image, there were countless responses from Guardians of the Galaxy fans out there. One asked about exactly when the holiday special will take place in the overall timeline, and the filmmaker was surprisingly honest, saying:

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Well, that was honest. It looks like the mysterious Guardians of the Galaxy holiday special will continue with the main chronological timeline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And since Taika Waititi's Thor: Love and Thunder will be hitting theaters before the mysterious streaming project, it'll be presumably be influenced by their appearance in the blockbuster.

This small tidbit of information is sure to be satisfying for all the Marvel fans out there who can't wait to see the motley crew of Guardians return to our screens, both silver and small. The group was hit hard by Thanos' assault in Avengers: Infinity War, and Endgame, so there's no doubt a great deal of trauma to work out. Because what says the holidays more than triggering emotional trauma?

Obviously the biggest question currently surrounding the Guardians of the Galaxy is the fate of Gamora. Zoe Saldana's signature character was murdered by Thanos so he could procure the Soul Stone in Infinity War. Luckily the character was brought back in Endgame, but it's a 2014 version of Gamora that has no experience with the Guardians. We last saw the group heading into space to find her, they just happened to have Chris Hemsworth's Thor in tow.

Before the holiday special comes to fruition fans will be treated to an appearance by the Guardians in Thor: Love and Thunder. It's currently unclear how they'll factor into the story, but the cast was seemingly only required to film down under for a brief period of time. Still, it'll no doubt be delightful to see Thor's chemistry with the team, in particular his rivalry with Star-Lord.

The next installment in the MCU is Black Widow on July 9th. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.