Kevin Bacon, who came to fame through playing Ren in 1984’sFootloose, would love to have a role in James Gunn’sGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The Golden Globe-winning actor notably worked with Gunn on the comedy superhero filmSuper.

Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill/Star-Lord has referenced Bacon in multiple MCU films. In 2011’sGuardians of the Galaxy,Quill notes that the actor is his childhood hero. InAvengers: Infinity War, Quill even asked Tom Holland’s Peter ParkerifFootlooseis still the best movie ever.Footloosewas one of the few filmsthe Celestial-Human hybrid was able to see before he was abducted from Earth in 1988. The reference led toBacon hilariously challenging Pratt to a dance-offon social media.

Kevin Bacon Promo poster of Guardians of the Galaxy 2

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Bacon recently toldEsquirethathe wants to be inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. “Listen, I love the idea. I would love to be part of that,” said the actor, adding, “when I sawGuardians of the Galaxy, I went to see it having no idea that I was discussed.” Bacon noted he was shocked that he was mentioned in the blockbuster. While Bacon played supervillain Sebastian Shaw inX-Men: First Class,he has yet to appear in the MCU. However, Bacon was referenced again inAvengers: Infinity Warwhen Mantis mistakenly referred to him as one of “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” after Thor mentioned the Earth-bound team of heroes.

Written and directed by Gunn,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3is set to start filminglater this year. Notably, Gunn was reinstated to direct the sequel by Disney after the company had fired him for past controversial Tweets. The social media posts had already been raised years before but caught the attention of fans after being brought back up by far-right individuals, who were more interested in punishing Gunn for his criticism of then-President Donald Trump. The upcoming sequel is expected to wrap up the characters’ MCU arcs and will be the final chapter in theGuardiansfranchise. The Pratt-led MCU film will also star Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, Sean Gunn, and Elizabeth Debicki.

Gunn confirmed that the sequel would take place afterThor: Love and Thunderin the MCU timeline. The newestThorfilm will feature the beloved Guardians charactersand sees Jane Foster (played by Natalie Portman) become the Mighty Thor after gaining similar powers to the former king of Asgard. Oscar Award-winning actor Christian Bale is portraying the villainous Gorr the God Butcher.

TheGuardianscast will also star in a Disney Plus holiday special due to be released beforeVol. 3. Gunn’sThe Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Specialis expected to debut on the streaming platform in late 2022.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3is scheduled to be released in theaters in May 2023.