Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 to break with beloved Marvel tradition

No more Mr Blue Sky...

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is set to abandon one of the franchise’s most popular traditions.

The film, directed by James Gunn, follows on from the first two Guardians films, as well as other Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) entries such as Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022).

Released in 2014, the first Guardians of the Galaxy was a smash hit for Marvel, and drew particular praise from fans for its infectious jukebox soundtrack.

In the film, music is played from a mixtape given to Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) by his late mother.

The soundtrack, comprising a host of 1970s rock hits such as “Moonage Daydream” by David Bowie, “Hooked on a Feeling” by Blue Suede, and “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone, was released as an album, and went on to top the Billboard 200 chart.

Now, the tracklist for the soundtrack of the forthcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 has been released.

However, Marvel fans will remember Pratt’s character receiving a Microsoft Zune music player at the end of the second Guardians film.

As a result, the third film has done away with its distinctive 1970s soundtrack, instead pulling from a variety of musical eras and styles.

Among the songs to feature will be “Creep” by Radiohead, “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence + the Machine, and “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” by the Beastie Boys.

Gunn addressed the change in a recent interview with Rolling Stone.

“It was very, very difficult. I felt very uncomfortable picking out songs and making sure that this was the right soundtrack,” the filmmaker said.

“Do I move onto just all 80s songs? Do I use all 90s songs? Or do I do what a Zune would actually have – songs from different eras, which is what I ended up doing.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 will be released in UK cinemas on 3 May and on 5 May in the US.