Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3: 11 Great Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The Marvel Movie

Between its extended development time, ending a beloved trilogy, and being James Gunn’s farewell to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a movie that has long been destined to have a complex legacy – and films of that nature tend to have a number of fun behind-the-scenes facts. This notion holds true for the acclaimed 2023 blockbuster, as revealed by the recent home video release.

The director’s commentary on the new Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Blu-ray is two-and-a-half hours of Gunn talking about his work on the film and telling stories, and it’s a wonderful and informative listen that only amps one’s appreciation for the movie. He reveals a number of fascinating things about the production, and I’ve highlighted 11 of the best in this feature.

That’s Really Chris Pratt Drooling Before Star-Lord Passes Out In The Opening Sequence

This is a big Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster featuring state of the art visual and special effects… but sometimes it’s best just to do some stuff for real, and one example arrives early in the movie. For the moment in the opening sequence where Rocket runs into an incredibly drunk Peter Quill, Gunn asked if Chris Pratt could unleash a stream of drool, and the actor was evidently happy to comply. That’s not egg yolk or some other product of the prop department; that’s pure Pratt saliva.

The On-Set Version Of The Bowie Had Multiple Levels And Different Rooms So That It Would Feel Like A Real Spaceship

James Gunn is elated to share on the director’s commentary that his movie had some of the most expansive sets of any Marvel Studios production, and arguably the most impressive of all was The Bowie – the new teal and purple ship that the Guardians fly in as they race to save Rocket’s life. According to the writer/director, the set for the inside of the vehicle was massive, featuring three different levels and specific rooms. The idea was to make it feel like a real ship for the actors, and it certainly comes across as one on screen.

Maria Baklova Did All Of The Performance Capture As Cosmo The Spacedog And “Spent As Much Time On Set As Anybody”

While Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel notably don’t do the performance capture work as Rocket and Groot in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, a number of Vol. 3 stars did take on both sides of their CG characters. On this list is Marvel Cinematic Universe newcomer Maria Baklova, who plays Cosmo The Spacedog. Gunn says on the director’s commentary that Baklova was fully committed to the production; in addition to doing her best impression of a canine while wearing gray pajamas on set, she was apparently also a regular behind the monitors watching the making of Cosmo-less scenes.

In Addition To Bradley Cooper And Sean Gunn, One Other Performer Voices Rocket Raccoon In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

After two movies of providing the performance capture duties for Rocket (leaving the voice over work to Bradley Cooper), Sean Gunn finally gets to voice young Rocket for a couple of scenes in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3… but what you may not know is that there is actually a third performer who contributes to the part. When the baby raccoon is thrown in his cage and says his first word (“Hurts”), that’s the voice of Noah Raskin – the young daughter of Fred Raskin, one of the blockbuster’s editors.

The Role Of The High Evolutionary Almost Went To A “Big Name Actor”… But Then James Gunn Met Chukwudi Iwuji

Gunn has exclusively nice things to say about every member of his cast in Vol. 3 in the movie’s director’s commentary, but some of the greatest praise he offers is for Chukwudi Iwuji – whose talents clearly blow him away.

According to Gunn, the original plan for the role of the High Evolutionary was to bring in a “big name actor” (a la Kurt Russell playing Ego in Vol. 2), but Gunn’s experience working with Iwuji on the Max series Peacemaker derailed that decision. The filmmaker pitched Kevin Feige on the actor, and he ended up being the only person to screen test for the part. Gunn adds that he got to break the great news to Iwuji on the day they shot the viral Peacemaker opening credits sequence.

Martinex Is Redesigned In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Because James Gunn Didn’t Like How The Character Turned Out In Vol. 2

If you line up the appearances of Martinex in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 side-by-side (as I have above), you’ll notice that there are some major changes. This isn’t because the alien character is undergoing some kind of metamorphosis that ties back to his story from the comics; it’s because James Gunn wasn’t happy about how he looked in Vol. 2 and decided that he wanted to fix it in the sequel. Perhaps the most significant aspect of the redesign is the fact that you can actually identify the actor playing the role (Smallville’s Michael Rosenbaum).

Adam Warlock Was Originally Going To Have A Cat, But That Idea Was Changed After Captain Marvel

In the director’s commentary, James Gunn digs into not only his history with Adam Warlock in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but also the origins of his fuzzy companion, Blurp. As explained by the filmmaker, he originally planned to introduce Adam as part of the adventure in Vol. 2, but the movie ended up being too busy for his inclusion.

As part of that original introduction, the character was going to come across and end up protecting a cat – but that idea had to be changed a bit in the making of Vol. 3 because another MCU movie had already featured a prominent feline character: the cat-like Flerken named Goose in Captain Marvel. Blurp, described by Gunn as a “furry F'saki,” was born.

James Gunn Created His Own Special Humanimals Language For The Movie

When it comes to languages in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, Gunn has certainly not half-assed things. Remember, this is the guy who created special scripts for Vin Diesel explaining the meaning of every “I am Groot.” In the making of Vol. 3, one of his big projects was developing the way that the humanimals on Counter-Earth communicate, and he went the extra mile with it. He only had to create a vocabulary of about 150 words, but Gunn says that the language has its own grammatical structures (for example, any word said twice sequentially is meant to express emphasis).

Groot’s "Everyone Deserves A Second Chance” Line Is James Gunn’s Way Of Referencing The Controversy In The Making Of The Film

If you followed the development of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, then you know that the movie dealt with some serious issues. In July 2018, James Gunn was fired by the Walt Disney Company due to some inappropriate jokes he made on Twitter prior to his tenure with Marvel, but support from the cast and fans saw Gunn get his job back in March 2019. Despite these delays, the blockbuster is almost exactly what the filmmaker always envisioned that it would be – though he remarks on the commentary track that Groot’s line to Adam Warlock about everybody deserving a second chance is his way of referencing the controversy.

Peter’s Face Puffing Up While Dying In Space Is A Practical Effect

Gunn is incredibly proud of what was accomplished digitally in the making of Vol. 3, with the blockbuster featuring stunning CGI – but not to be overlooked is the magic that is accomplished practically. Case in point: when Star-Lord’s face puffs up as he is dying in the cold vacuum of space, the effect is accomplished with a special mask made with the capacity to inflate and distort features. It looks incredible in the film, and certainly makes you think that Peter is doomed (of course, he’s saved at the last minute by Adam).

Will Poulter Didn’t Know Adam Was Supposed To Hug The Guardians, And It Led To One Of The Movie’s Sweetest Moments

James Gunn’s writing does a wonderful job of blending funny, sweet, and awkward tones, but one of the best examples of this actually originates from some in-the-moment acting by Will Poulter on set.

When the cast was doing the Guardians group hug following the defeat of the High Evolutionary, Poulter was standing away from the team, and Gunn had to call to him via microphone to join the embrace. Adam’s trepidation is funny because it’s clear the character doesn’t know whether or not he should be in on the emotional celebration, but it’s heart-rending when you consider that he’s yet another outer space weirdo who is in need of a family that really loves him.

If you’re now excited to revisit all of the excitement in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the good news is that it is very easy to find and watch. Anyone with a Disney+ subscription can watch it instantly, but other digital distribution options include Prime Video, on Vudu, and Google Play. Physical media fans can also get the blockbuster on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD.