Disney XD Sets Premiere Date for ‘Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy’ Series

When Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy blasted off with $333 million at the box office last year, an animated spinoff was already in the pipeline—and now it’s finally ready for TV. Disney XD will air a special sneak preview of the series on Saturday, Sept. 5 before officially premiering it three weeks later, on Sept. 26. The show features the same ragtag group of space adventurers—Star-Lord/Peter Quill, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, Drax and Gamora—but a new voice cast. “We definitely went for—I’m making up a term here—‘feel-alikes,’” says Stephen Wacker, vice president for current series at Marvel Animation Studios. “Will Friedle has the spirit that Chris Pratt brought to Star-Lord.” (The Boy Meets World alum has already earned his animation cred as the title character in Batman Beyond.)

And while the narrative for the series is a “treasure hunt” based on a piece of Quill’s past, expect plenty of detours. The team will encounter Thanos, the big bad from the film, along with Loki, Thor and the Grandmaster. Wacker reveals we’ll also see the Inhumans, a lesser-known Marvel group that will be getting its own live-action movie in 2019 (and recently appeared in ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). And finally, there’s a little something for dog lovers everywhere. “People are going to be shocked by the prominence we give to Cosmo, the telepathic dog who was seen in the movie at the very end with Howard the Duck,” Wacker says. “He’s a big part of our world.”