Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: James Gunn Explains Why This Olivia Newton-John Classic Won’t Make the Soundtrack

James Gunn is known for an array of films ranging from Guardians of the Galaxy to The Suicide Squad, and one thing his projects all have in common (aside from Michael Rooker) is an epic soundtrack. Recently, the director teased that the upcoming Peacemaker series for HBO Max features his favorite soundtrack he’s ever put together, but Marvel fans are hoping the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will give his past projects a run for their money. Gunn previously revealed that there’s one song he’ll never put in his movies, which is “Dancing in the Moonlight” by King Harvest. The director said putting that song in a Guardians movie would feel “hackneyed.” In another recent Twitter post, Gunn shared another song you won’t be hearing in Vol. 3. 

“@JamesGunn I think Xanadu by Olivia Newton-John is a perfect fit for a Guardians film. So similar to the legend Xandu himself #GOTG,” @GregCharlesCarr tweeted to the director. “Is it weird that I have an aversion to putting songs that originated as movie soundtrack songs in Guardians? All love to the great @olivianj (side note: at one point I lived in the house she built & lived in during that era!),” Gunn shared. While we would love to see any musical tribute to Newton-John, Gunn’s aversion does make sense. You can check out the tweet interaction below:

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Gunn recently spoke to CinemaBlend about why some of the Guardians of the Galaxy songs are not in the same order on the soundtrack as the movie. Some Marvel fans picked up on this during the first two releases and wanted an explanation.

“I think [it’s] because the order they are in in the movie is different than the order that they work well,” Gunn divulged. “As somebody who has put mixtapes together their whole life, the order of the songs in the movie doesn’t exactly work in the same way. So that’s why. When you’re putting songs together, there’s a flow to the way that the songs work together. And if you put them in the order in the movie, in winds up being too pop-y up front, and too dark on the back half. It gets a little darker as it goes on, especially Vol. 2.“

Are there any songs you’d like to hear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3? Tell us in the comments! 

The first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies are now streaming on Disney+ while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is due to hit theaters on May 5, 2023.