When the global pandemic shut down Walt Disney World it did a lot more than simply make the parks unavailable. It drastically changed what the parks had planned for the future. Anything that was under construction saw a delay and some projects that had been announced have been indefinitely postponed. But one ride that a lot of fans are looking forward to, that has been moving forward ever so slowly, has taken an important step forward as James Gunn has now confirmed that filming for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind has begun.
James Gunn recently took to Twitter to correct reports that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 had begun filming. While that day is close, we’re not quite there yet. But it turns out that part of the reason that the rumor might have gotten started in the first place could be that filming has begun for the new roller coaster being added to Epcot.
Nope. Still not there yet. Go to sleep until we get there, you’re driving me crazy. https://t.co/t9KnDmU06wOctober 19, 2021
Originally, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind was expected to open in time for Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary, but when construction shut down on the ride for several months, that became impossible. Both Cosmic Rewind and the Tron Light Cycle: Power Run coaster at Magic Kingdom have been moving forward with construction, but that construction has been happening very slowly.
At the same time, because Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind was going to be using live-action footage, it didn’t really matter how quickly the building was done. The ride wouldn’t be able to open until it had all the footage it needed for inside the ride.
When Disney built its first Guardians of the Galaxy attraction at Disney California Adventure, Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout, it included a lot of live-action sequences on screens that were filmed using the movie cast and were all directed by James Gunn. Now, the same thing is happening with the new roller coaster. The ride, the movie, and the holiday special, are all being filmed together, or in quick succession.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind has been confirmed by Disney World to be opening in 2022, but no date within that calendar year has been given. Assuming there are no other significant delays, an opening in time for the busy summer season seems possible. If things go well it could even happen earlier.
Now if only we could get some sort of news on the Tron Light Cycle: Power Run. That’s the other big E-ticket attraction that Disney has on the way, but that one has certainly been taking its time. Some of that is to be expected. Between the pandemic delays and the fact that the ride is absolutely massive, we know it’s going to take a while, but while the new Epcot ride has been confirmed to open next year, Tron has been given no such window, meaning it could still be more than a year before we can actually ride this one.