According to writer and director James Gunn, the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will be essential viewing for fans planning on watching Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

In an interview with Collider, Gunn was asked what information he could reveal about the show. "You know, it's in-canon," he said. "It's about the Guardians, you're gonna learn stuff that you need to learn before you see Vol. 3 and it's great. I'm really, really happy with it."

Related: A Guardians of the Galaxy Fan Theory May Predict a Vol. 3 Death

"I'm using a lot of the same sets," Gunn continued. "Same actors, obviously. So we're shooting, you know, sort of simultaneous with the film." It's also not feature-length itself, due to its nature as a holiday special to be aired on Disney+. "It's not an hour. It's definitely not an hour. It's under 40 minutes," he concluded.

Announced during Disney's Investor Day 2020, not much else is known about the special yet. Gunn did reveal a sneak peek at the first draft of the script earlier this year, where he's credited as James "Long Elf" Gunn. He's also hinted at the scale of it being on par with the films of the past and the upcoming one, saying, "I'm not sure the galaxy is big enough for all this magic." There was even some interaction with Mark Hamill, who has his own history with an infamous holiday special from the Star Wars franchise.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special arrives on Disney+ in 2022, while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 arrives in theaters May 23, 2023.

Keep Reading: Guardians of the Galaxy’s Karen Gillan Wants to Play Nebula Beyond Vol. 3

Source: YouTube