Werewolf By Night has been a huge success on Disney+ since its October 7 release. The project, directed by Michael Giacchino, is currently regarded as one of the best in Marvel’s Phase 4 slate. But it’s neither a television program nor a theatrical motion picture. Werewolf By Night, the first of its kind in the MCU, is referred to as a “Special Presentation” with a 50-minute runtime.
While theatrical films, multi-season television series, and animated shorts have all been produced by Marvel Studios, a special is a first for the MCU. In a recent interview with Collider, Brian Gay—co-executive producer on Werewolf By Night and director of production & development at Marvel Studios—discussed the potential for more special presentations in the future.
“We haven’t set out a schedule or a master plan or something like that. But I think what’s really exciting about the special is its unique, right? Disney+ lets us do something that doesn’t have to be a three-hour movie,” he explains. “It doesn’t have to be a 10-episode series. It lets us dip our toe in, introduce something, bring out a new character, and give you what I’ve been calling an appetizer of hopefully what’s more to come with seeing these characters, or at least the ones that lived, continue on in the MCU.”
Jack Russell/Werewolf by Night (Gael Garca Bernal), Elsa Bloodstone (Laura Donnelly), and Man-Thing were among the new characters that Werewolf by Night introduced to the expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. Gay would like to see some characters given more screen time, either in a different special, a series, or a movie.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will give audiences a holiday special after Marvel covered Halloween with Werewolf By Night. The project has been in development for a while, but now that it’s scheduled to premiere on Disney+ sometime in December of this year, a release date is finally drawing near. There are few details about the project, but we do know that it takes place between the events of Thor: Love and Thunder and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Marvel will undoubtedly look for additional opportunities to implement special presentations on Disney+ if the GOTG Holiday Special proves to be another success. Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, and Karen Gillan are among the cast members who will be back. James Gunn, who also wrote and directed the first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies, is writing and directing the MCU project. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special could significantly outperform Werewolf By Night in terms of viewership thanks to the star power attached.
As we get closer to December, fans should learn more about the special, and don’t be surprised if Marvel Studios starts to introduce the format even more.