Poster art for the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special casts Mark Hamill as Santa Claus. Set to come out in December of this year, the holiday special has been talked about and teased by director James Gunn for a few years now. The script is complete, and the cast has been filming the special and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (set for release on May 5, 2023) simultaneously. Gunn confirmed the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will be canon and will include important information that tees up Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3.
Mark Hamill is familiar with holiday specials, though they might not be among his fondest memories. The Star Wars: Holiday Special was released in 1978, including, among other questionable choices, musical numbers and Chewbacca's son named Lumpy. Even George Lucas' initial response was to try and forget it ever happened. Over time though, it became famous, mainly for its hilariousness. Hamill filmed the special after having just survived a severe car accident and the resulting extensive surgeries.
In a fan art poster by Matt Roembke on Twitter, Mark Hamill is imagined as Santa Claus in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. The poster shows a picture of Hamill with a big, white beard and long hair, fitting the classic Santa look. He's surrounded by Christmas lights and wearing nondescript, black attire, looming intensely above the official title and font for Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Roembke's caption on the post is "Who says no?" Check out the fan art below.
In recent years, a fan on Twitter started a thread by begging James Gunn and Mark Hamill to collaborate for the 3rd Guardians movie. Surprisingly, Gunn responded that he would be into the idea, noting that he and Hamill are neighbors in Malibu. Hamill replied to the thread that he would be interested too. In an era where fan casting choices often turn into casting reality, seeing Gunn and Hamill consider the collaboration is a very hopeful sign.
Gunn's irreverent sense of humor set the tone for the original Guardians of the Galaxy, and since then, it's paid off well, most recently for Peacemaker on HBO, which became the best-reviewed work in the DCEU. His choice to make a holiday special for the Guardians makes perfect sense, as he is undoubtedly aware of the potential hilarity and disastrousness. Gunn has claimed that the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is the best thing he's written so far. He also mentioned that a new Marvel character would be introduced in the special, though whether it's Mark Hamill as Santa Claus remains a fan fantasy.
Source: Matt Roembke / Twitter
