Marvel Studios unleashed an insane number of announcements for new programming coming to Disney+ in the coming years, and that includes two new projects featuring the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be arriving in theaters in 2023, but before that, James Gunn is writing and directing The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, a live-action program that will be coming exclusively to Disney+. And that’s not all that’s in store for the ragtag team of space criminals turned superheroes.
The Star Wars Holiday Special from 1978 should have made anyone leery about following in the same footsteps with a popular blockbuster franchise. But if there’s anyone who can make it work, it’s James Gunn and the quirky, cosmic characters of Guardians of the Galaxy. In fact, he’s one of the few who genuinely loved the Star Wars Holiday Special, as he wrote on Twitter:
Even seeing this here makes me laugh. One of my favorite stories ever, which I have bugged @Kevfeige endlessly about over the years. I can’t believe we’re actually doing this. And, yes, I unironically loved the Star Wars Holiday Special as a kid. pic.twitter.com/JjymrARoV7
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 11, 2020
Using the Guardians of the Galaxy in this way might seem cheesy, but it also makes perfect sense. After all, Gamora is green, Groot can easily be decorated as a Christmas tree, and Star-Lord probably has at least a few Christmas songs on the Zune he received at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. James Gunn has given the Guardians of the Galaxy movies incredible soundtracks, so we’re sure he’ll do the same for their holiday special. And he’s also confirmed that this will be canon.
Meanwhile, Disney+ will have a series of short adventures for the little guy known as Baby Groot:
Everyone’s favorite little tree, Baby Groot, will star in a series of shorts on Disney+ featuring several new and unusual characters.
I Am Groot, an Original Series from Marvel Studios, is coming to #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/U5nfDkFKjW
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) December 11, 2020
Disney+ will also have a new short animated series focusing on Baby Groot on a series of different adventures that will feature “new and unusual characters.” Could this be based on the I Am Groot comic book series from 2017? Here’s the synopsis for those comics:
When the Guardians of the Galaxy get caught in a wormhole, a smaller-than-normal Groot is separated billions of light-years away from the team. Falling to a planet below, Groot discovers he is on an entirely alien and unknown world full of strange creatures and societies. Seriously underdeveloped and with nobody who can understand him, Groot will need to make the journey to the center of this world and find the way back to his family!
Yeah, sounds like that could easily be the plot of the series to me. And making it animated allows for a lot of opportunity to explore new, weird worlds without worrying about a huge live-action budget.
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