When James Gunn approached Kevin Bacon to join The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, he didn’t have to pitch very hard. Bacon had one response: I’m in.

“I didn't really read the script,” Bacon recently tells IGN in a new interview. “I just said, ‘Oh yeah, that sounds great.’ In fact, I don't even know initially if I knew if I was playing myself. I'm trying to remember, because it's been quite a few years since the idea first arrived. It took some time to get it off the ground because of COVID and other kinds of things. But yeah, I was thrilled when I read the script and then when he later on told me that I was also going to sing, I was like, ‘This is really fun.’

In The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Kevin Bacon stars as… Kevin Bacon. The 40-minute seasonal special, which releases today on Disney+, is an extended payoff for a joke from the original Guardians of the Galaxy in which Peter Quill [Chris Pratt] praises Kevin Bacon as a “great hero” and describes Footloose as a movie that “teaches an entire city full of people with sticks up their butts that dancing, well, is the greatest thing there is.”

"My jaw dropped"

When Bacon first saw that scene, he says his “jaw dropped” because he didn’t know that it would be in the movie. He remembers how strange it was to hear himself name-dropped out of nowhere in the midst of an MCU movie.

“If you can imagine sitting there in a dark theater and all of a sudden hearing yourself name dropped in that kind of way, it's a very, very, very strange experience, but cool,” Bacon says. “I mean, I loved it, because I love the movie and there is something that's kind of symbiotic about the whole thing, because James really loves music, and Footloose was a music-based movie. And I walked out of the theater and called my wife and I said, ‘I'm going to go back and see this movie. It's a great movie, and there's a little surprise in there for you, you'll see.’"

Bacon’s wife, Kyra Sedgwick, also happens to be in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, albeit as a voice-only cameo.

Bacon says he ultimately had a great time making The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, likening the entire experience to a company Christmas party. He even got to meet Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, calling him “very sweet.”

“A lot of these people have been a part of it for years and years and years, starting with one, and now they were in the middle of shooting [Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3], and we stopped… or they stopped and paused to do the special,” Bacon says. “And it was as though you'd been working in an office all year, and all of a sudden you had the Christmas party. That was the vibe on the set, so everybody had a blast, and most of all, me.”

Ironically, The Guardian’s the Galaxy Holiday Special was shot in the Spring, wrapping up production in May. Many of the sets were pulled directly from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, saving Marvel a large amount of money and making the special possible. In a separate interview, Gunn described writing the special as incredibly easy compared to the much more emotional Guardians of the Galaxy 3.

"James Gunn is a powerhouse"

Gunn himself is nearly finished with the MCU, taking a position as DC Studios co-lead roughly five months after the holiday special finished filming. Asked for his reaction to Gunn’s new position, Bacon said he’s not surprised.

“James is a powerhouse,” Bacon says. “He's just got a great voice and a great eye, and he's super smart and obviously makes very, very successful movies. I was thrilled to hear that he got his new gig. That's basically what I said, ‘I'm thrilled to hear about your new gig.’

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special ends with Bacon performing a rock-and-roll carol alongside the Old 97s, who are an alien band in the world of the MCU. Bacon praised them as “fantastic,” saying that “all the music in the movie makes it great.”

“When I got the script, [Gunn] had referenced all the tunes, so I immediately made myself a playlist just to feel the vibe of the whole thing and listen to it a lot,” Bacon says. “And it's great, and I love the Old 97s song. It's really hard to write a new Christmas song, and I think it's got a really nice combination of sweetness and sentimentality without being a corny take on Christmas. And it rocks, and I loved it.”

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now available. You can read our full review here, which we praise for delivering “all the Christmas cheer, sentiment, catchy musical numbers, and laugh-out-loud moments you could ask for in a quick 43 minutes.”

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

When James Gunn approached Kevin Bacon to join The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, he didn’t have to pitch very hard. Bacon had one response: I’m in.

“I didn't really read the script,” Bacon recently tells IGN in a new interview. “I just said, ‘Oh yeah, that sounds great.’ In fact, I don't even know initially if I knew if I was playing myself. I'm trying to remember, because it's been quite a few years since the idea first arrived. It took some time to get it off the ground because of COVID and other kinds of things. But yeah, I was thrilled when I read the script and then when he later on told me that I was also going to sing, I was like, ‘This is really fun.’

In The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Kevin Bacon stars as… Kevin Bacon. The 40-minute seasonal special, which releases today on Disney+, is an extended payoff for a joke from the original Guardians of the Galaxy in which Peter Quill [Chris Pratt] praises Kevin Bacon as a “great hero” and describes Footloose as a movie that “teaches an entire city full of people with sticks up their butts that dancing, well, is the greatest thing there is.”

"My jaw dropped"

When Bacon first saw that scene, he says his “jaw dropped” because he didn’t know that it would be in the movie. He remembers how strange it was to hear himself name-dropped out of nowhere in the midst of an MCU movie.

“If you can imagine sitting there in a dark theater and all of a sudden hearing yourself name dropped in that kind of way, it's a very, very, very strange experience, but cool,” Bacon says. “I mean, I loved it, because I love the movie and there is something that's kind of symbiotic about the whole thing, because James really loves music, and Footloose was a music-based movie. And I walked out of the theater and called my wife and I said, ‘I'm going to go back and see this movie. It's a great movie, and there's a little surprise in there for you, you'll see.’"

Bacon’s wife, Kyra Sedgwick, also happens to be in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, albeit as a voice-only cameo.

Bacon says he ultimately had a great time making The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, likening the entire experience to a company Christmas party. He even got to meet Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, calling him “very sweet.”

“A lot of these people have been a part of it for years and years and years, starting with one, and now they were in the middle of shooting [Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3], and we stopped… or they stopped and paused to do the special,” Bacon says. “And it was as though you'd been working in an office all year, and all of a sudden you had the Christmas party. That was the vibe on the set, so everybody had a blast, and most of all, me.”

Ironically, The Guardian’s the Galaxy Holiday Special was shot in the Spring, wrapping up production in May. Many of the sets were pulled directly from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, saving Marvel a large amount of money and making the special possible. In a separate interview, Gunn described writing the special as incredibly easy compared to the much more emotional Guardians of the Galaxy 3.

"James Gunn is a powerhouse"

Gunn himself is nearly finished with the MCU, taking a position as DC Studios co-lead roughly five months after the holiday special finished filming. Asked for his reaction to Gunn’s new position, Bacon said he’s not surprised.

“James is a powerhouse,” Bacon says. “He's just got a great voice and a great eye, and he's super smart and obviously makes very, very successful movies. I was thrilled to hear that he got his new gig. That's basically what I said, ‘I'm thrilled to hear about your new gig.’

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special ends with Bacon performing a rock-and-roll carol alongside the Old 97s, who are an alien band in the world of the MCU. Bacon praised them as “fantastic,” saying that “all the music in the movie makes it great.”

“When I got the script, [Gunn] had referenced all the tunes, so I immediately made myself a playlist just to feel the vibe of the whole thing and listen to it a lot,” Bacon says. “And it's great, and I love the Old 97s song. It's really hard to write a new Christmas song, and I think it's got a really nice combination of sweetness and sentimentality without being a corny take on Christmas. And it rocks, and I loved it.”

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now available. You can read our full review here, which we praise for delivering “all the Christmas cheer, sentiment, catchy musical numbers, and laugh-out-loud moments you could ask for in a quick 43 minutes.”

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Indiana Jones 5 star Harrison Ford didn't think a fifth film was necessary but ended up happy with how it turned out.

Speaking to Empire, Ford said he felt Indiana Jones already had his moment but the new film's script offered an interesting way to extend the character.

"I didn't feel it was necessary to do another one," he said. "I just thought it would be nice to see one where Indiana Jones was at the end of his journey.," adding he would take it on "if a script came along that I felt gave me a way to extend the character."

Despite his doubts, however, Ford appears glad to have shot Indiana Jones 5, even if filming was difficult at times (like when he injured himself during a fight scene on set).

"It's full of adventure, full of laughs, full of real emotion. And it's complex and it's sneaky," Ford said of the film. "The shooting of it was tough and long and arduous, but I'm very happy with the film that we have."

The difficulty was perhaps increased by director James Mangold wanting to use only practical effects, revealing that he turned down proposals to use CGI studios early in the film's production. Indiana Jones 5 finally wrapped filming in February 2022 and will premiere next year on June 30.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Indiana Jones 5 star Harrison Ford didn't think a fifth film was necessary but ended up happy with how it turned out.

Speaking to Empire, Ford said he felt Indiana Jones already had his moment but the new film's script offered an interesting way to extend the character.

"I didn't feel it was necessary to do another one," he said. "I just thought it would be nice to see one where Indiana Jones was at the end of his journey.," adding he would take it on "if a script came along that I felt gave me a way to extend the character."

Despite his doubts, however, Ford appears glad to have shot Indiana Jones 5, even if filming was difficult at times (like when he injured himself during a fight scene on set).

"It's full of adventure, full of laughs, full of real emotion. And it's complex and it's sneaky," Ford said of the film. "The shooting of it was tough and long and arduous, but I'm very happy with the film that we have."

The difficulty was perhaps increased by director James Mangold wanting to use only practical effects, revealing that he turned down proposals to use CGI studios early in the film's production. Indiana Jones 5 finally wrapped filming in February 2022 and will premiere next year on June 30.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Indiana Jones 5 director James Mangold didn't want to use any CGI during the filming of Indiana Jones 5, instead prioritising practical effects.

Speaking to Empire, Mangold explained that he shut down any notions of using volumes - studios that use advanced technology to create artificial backdrops - whenever it came up in production meetings. "If anyone in early meetings brought it up, I'd say, 'no volumes, please'," he said.

Production left the U.S. to shoot in the likes of Sicily, Morocco, and Glasgow as the team sought to create a completely authentic globe-trotting adventure that Indiana Jones films are known for, with scenes shot in crypts, bazaars, and even underwater.

Something brand new, however, is the use of helicopters in set pieces, joining horses, planes, trains, and automobiles. "Every type of vehicle, every country, we have scenes that are recreating really iconic, giant events," added producer Simon Emanuel.

Indiana Jones wrapped filming in February 2022 but won't be released until June 30 next year. Alongside Harrison Ford returning as the titular character (despite not finding a fifth entry necessary), Mads Mikkelsen and Phoebe Waller-Bridge are also starring in the fifth and final film.

Though details are still hazy around the film's plot, we know that at least some of it is set in the past as Ford is confirmed to undergo a de-aging for the opening sequence.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Indiana Jones 5 director James Mangold didn't want to use any CGI during the filming of Indiana Jones 5, instead prioritising practical effects.

Speaking to Empire, Mangold explained that he shut down any notions of using volumes - studios that use advanced technology to create artificial backdrops - whenever it came up in production meetings. "If anyone in early meetings brought it up, I'd say, 'no volumes, please'," he said.

Production left the U.S. to shoot in the likes of Sicily, Morocco, and Glasgow as the team sought to create a completely authentic globe-trotting adventure that Indiana Jones films are known for, with scenes shot in crypts, bazaars, and even underwater.

Something brand new, however, is the use of helicopters in set pieces, joining horses, planes, trains, and automobiles. "Every type of vehicle, every country, we have scenes that are recreating really iconic, giant events," added producer Simon Emanuel.

Indiana Jones wrapped filming in February 2022 but won't be released until June 30 next year. Alongside Harrison Ford returning as the titular character (despite not finding a fifth entry necessary), Mads Mikkelsen and Phoebe Waller-Bridge are also starring in the fifth and final film.

Though details are still hazy around the film's plot, we know that at least some of it is set in the past as Ford is confirmed to undergo a de-aging for the opening sequence.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Indie hit Vampire Survivors is getting an update that adds a new character and stage.

After leaving Early Access with its recent 1.0 update, Vampire Survivors brings even more monster-themed mayhem with its 1.1 “Tiny” update.

The new patch launches today and adds a new stage, the Tiny Bridge, which sees your favorite survivors fighting for survival atop, well, a bridge. “Two bloodthirsty factions battle atop a bridge, and our heroes find themselves caught in the middle,” reads the announcement.

The stage is a lot more cramped than your usual Vampire Survivors stages, so watch out for those choke points.

Vampire Survivors is also adding a new secret character called Scorej-Oni. An ancient creature that sounds like it’s based on the Japanese Oni, it gets a hidden Lightning Ring every eight levels.

There’s also a new Seal Power Up that allows players to banish an item from level-up choices, or a pickup from light choices, presumably focussing your build on items you really need. Additionally, there are two new achievements, but you’ll have to dive in to find out what those are.

Patch 1.1 also includes some minor fixes, including improvements to the pause menu, loading times, and more.

Vampire Survivors recently added a dog that farts flowers as part of its continuous updates following the game’s viral success. It became the most-played game on Steam Deck in August and retained the title the following month. Vampire Survivors is now also available on Xbox Game Pass.

IGN’s review of Vampire Survivors gave it 7/10 and said: “It may look extremely basic, but if you give Vampire Survivors' clever one-stick shooter idea a chance to sink its teeth into you it might not let go for a while.”

Want to read more about Vampire Survivors? Check out the content that was added before Vampire Survivors left Early Access as well as the game’s official Xbox launch trailer.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Indie hit Vampire Survivors is getting an update that adds a new character and stage.

After leaving Early Access with its recent 1.0 update, Vampire Survivors brings even more monster-themed mayhem with its 1.1 “Tiny” update.

The new patch launches today and adds a new stage, the Tiny Bridge, which sees your favorite survivors fighting for survival atop, well, a bridge. “Two bloodthirsty factions battle atop a bridge, and our heroes find themselves caught in the middle,” reads the announcement.

The stage is a lot more cramped than your usual Vampire Survivors stages, so watch out for those choke points.

Vampire Survivors is also adding a new secret character called Scorej-Oni. An ancient creature that sounds like it’s based on the Japanese Oni, it gets a hidden Lightning Ring every eight levels.

There’s also a new Seal Power Up that allows players to banish an item from level-up choices, or a pickup from light choices, presumably focussing your build on items you really need. Additionally, there are two new achievements, but you’ll have to dive in to find out what those are.

Patch 1.1 also includes some minor fixes, including improvements to the pause menu, loading times, and more.

Vampire Survivors recently added a dog that farts flowers as part of its continuous updates following the game’s viral success. It became the most-played game on Steam Deck in August and retained the title the following month. Vampire Survivors is now also available on Xbox Game Pass.

IGN’s review of Vampire Survivors gave it 7/10 and said: “It may look extremely basic, but if you give Vampire Survivors' clever one-stick shooter idea a chance to sink its teeth into you it might not let go for a while.”

Want to read more about Vampire Survivors? Check out the content that was added before Vampire Survivors left Early Access as well as the game’s official Xbox launch trailer.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Sony has now included EA's Battlefield franchise in its arguments against Xbox's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, saying the shooter can't keep up with Call of Duty.

As reported by PC Gamer, Sony said in its response to the UK government's investigation into the merger that Call of Duty has found unparalleled success that no other shooter can compete, even Battlefield.

"Call of Duty is not replicable," it said. "Call of Duty is too entrenched for any rival, no matter how well equipped, to catch up. It has been the top-selling game for almost every year in the last decade and, in the first-person shooter genre, it is overwhelmingly the top-selling game.

"Other publishers do not have the resources or expertise to match its success," Sony continued. "To give a concrete example, Electronic Arts – one of the largest third-party developers after Activision – has tried for many years to produce a rival to Call of Duty with its Battlefield series.

"Despite the similarities between Call of Duty and Battlefield – and despite EA’s track record in developing other successful AAA franchises (such as FIFA, Mass Effect, Need for Speed, and Star Wars: Battlefront) – the Battlefield franchise cannot keep up. As of August 2021, more than 400 million Call of Duty games has been sold, while Battlefield has sold just 88.7 million copies."

EA's most recent entry, Battlefield 2042, has had a particularly rocky first year on the market, with the publisher itself admitting that it didn't meet expectations. Several updates and fixes were delayed and developer DICE was even forced to remake its maps after saying it understood the "walking simulator" complaints.

Call of Duty's latest, on the other hand, had the biggest opening weekend in franchise history, breaking multiple sales records and earning $1 billion in its first ten days on sale.

The franchise has always been released on both Xbox and PlayStation, but Sony is currently arguing that there’s nothing stopping Microsoft from making the franchise an Xbox exclusive despite its promises not to.

Although the Activision deal has been approved in some markets, the UK government's Competition and Markets Authority is currently scrutinizing the deal due to anti-competition concerns.

EA, on the other hand, sees the Microsoft deal as a huge opportunity. "Being platform-agnostic and completely cross-platform with Battlefield I think is a tremendous opportunity," said EA CEO Andrew Wilson at the time.

Want to read more about Call of Duty? Check out the Warzone 2.0 glitch that’s locking players out as well as what’s coming to Call of Duty in 2023.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reportedly "likely" to file an antitrust lawsuit to block the $68.7 billion deal that would see Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard.

As reported by Politico, this news comes by the way of "three people with knowledge of the matter," and they stress this lawsuit is "not guaranteed."

The FTC's four commissioners haven't taken the time to vote out a complaint or even meet with the lawyers from Microsoft and Activision, but the FTC staff reviewing the deal are "skeptical of the companies' arguments."

As for where the deal stands, much of the "heavy lifting" has been completed, including depositions of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. This means a decision on a potential antitrust lawsuit could arrive as soon as December.

The main crux of the problem, according to the FTC, is some worry this deal will give "Microsoft an unfair boost in the video game market."

Sony has, obviously, been one of the biggest opponents against the deal, and the question of where Call of Duty will appear has been one of the hottest topics. Despite Xbox head Phil Spencer stating Call of Duty will continue to ship on PlayStation "as long as there's a PlayStation to ship to," there are still concerns with what other issues this deal may create.

Sony has previously said that Microsoft is a "Tech Titan buying up irreplaceable content at incontestable prices ($68.7 billion) to tip competition to itself."

There are concerns beyond Call of Duty, however, as there is worry what future mega-hit titles will do to tip the scales if they are locked behind one platform.

Google is also said to be against the deal, claiming Microsoft has "purposely degraded the quality of its Game Pass subscription service when used with Google’s Chrome operating system." If the deal were to go through, it believes it would "further [Microsoft's] incentive to do so."

Microsoft has disputed many of these claims and acknowledges that, even after the deal closes, it would still be in third place.

"We’ll still trail Sony and Tencent in the market after the deal closes, and together Activision and Xbox will benefit gamers and developers and make the industry more competitive," Microsoft spokesperson David Cuddy said.

Alongside the FTC, regulators in Europe and the UK have also launched in-depth probes, meaning the deal likely won't close until the Spring at the earliest. Microsoft and Activision have until July 2023 to close the deal or they will have to renegotiate the agreement.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.