James Gunn Teases the Emotional Ending of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

In the end, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 goes back to the beginning. On May 5th, 2023, it’s time to face the music: the trilogy-ender from filmmaker James Gunn is “the last time people will see this team of Guardians.” But before bidding an emotional goodbye to Star-Lord’s (Chris Pratt) crew of intergalactic outlaws that includes Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Groot (Vin Diesel), and Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), most of the Guardians will return in the cheery Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special streaming in time for Thanksgiving on Disney+.

Gunn and the cast filmed the special at the same time as the film sequel, giving the Guardians crew a festive recess from the emotionally “heavy” Vol. 3. 

“It was great because the shooting schedules were totally intermingled. Vol. 3 has a lot of the fun and the goofy stuff of Guardians, but it’s also incredibly emotional. It’s the end of the story for this group of Guardians, so there was a lot of emotion around it,” Gunn told Entertainment Weekly. “It was very serious a lot of the time. The actors were all pushing themselves a lot, especially Chris Pratt. It was heavy. So to be able to take a day off and go shoot this goofy, low-stakes comedy show where nothing was really too serious, that was really a relief, and it was a lot of fun. I really would look forward to those holiday special days on my schedule. It’s like, ‘Oh, it’s a holiday special day today. Let’s party.’”

The special follows Drax and Mantis as they head to Earth in search of the perfect present for Star-Lord: legendary actor Kevin Bacon (appearing as himself). It’s far lighter fare than Vol. 3, which will wrap up the story started with 2014’s original Guardians of the Galaxy.

“I think I felt a lot of pressure before because it really matters to me that we end this story well. I’ll be honest, I started looking at all the trilogies that have existed throughout time, and in most trilogies, the third movie is awful,” Gunn said. “There’s a couple of exceptions, but when I say a couple, I mean like two or three. It’s very rare that the third movie in a franchise is good. So, it was important to me that we really ended this story in a good way.”

READ MORE: Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special Review  – James Gunn Previews Rocket’s Emotional Vol. 3 Ending (Exclusive)

Along with a tearjerker origin story for baby Rocket, Gunn continued, “A lot of Vol. 3 is going back to the beginning so that we can really see the end. We see the importance of Rocket’s character and who he is. It was just important to me that it worked and that I did everything I possibly could for the sake of these characters and for the fans. So, I put my all into it.”

Making the much bigger Vol. 3, which brings back 2014 Gamora post-Avengers: Endgame and introduces cosmic characters like the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) and Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), was “really hard” for Gunn, who recently assumed his post as co-chair of DC Studios. 

“This Christmas special was the easiest thing of all time. The movie was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Gunn said. “I’m starting to feel pretty good because I’m starting to see it come together. I’m starting to see how people react to it, and I’m seeing what works. Most of the work now is on VFX and dealing with the score with John Murphy, who did such a spectacular job with the holiday special. But I’ve started to feel pretty comfortable with it because I just want to honor these characters and honor the fans that have supported us this whole way.”

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is streaming November 25th on Disney+. Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens in theaters May 5th, 2023.