Since the initial announcement, the duration of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special has aroused a lot of curiosity among fans, not used to this particular format. Well, now James Gunn thinks about giving the definitive answer: about 40 minutes, as he himself replied to a Twitter user. Post-production is almost complete, which is why the director has a more definitive idea of the timing.
It will therefore be a classic television duration, like the standard episode of a series. Unlike the infamous The Star Wars Holiday Special , however, this will be canon , and therefore will officially be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe : in particular, it will be the final chapter of Phase 4. We can imagine that it will receive the A Special Marvel Studios Presentation label , like the Halloween special on Werewolf By Night .
As for the chronology, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will be set between Thor: Love and Thunder and Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 : not surprisingly, the Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder goats will also appear . The special will introduce some important elements in the history of the Guardians , including new characters. The release is expected for next Christmas on Disney + , while Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 will arrive on May 5, 2023 in American theaters.
We will keep you posted.
ofc it’s almost all done (just a few VFX shots & some mixing & coloring left) and ready to go. https://t.co/h7EzcDljF2
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) September 10, 2022