Guardians of the Galaxy Taking Over California Adventure's Tower of Terror in 2017

Last night Disney Parks dropped a bomb and revealed that the rumors are true - the Tower of Terror at Disney California Adventure will be replaced with Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout! in mid-2017.  The last rides on Tower of Terror will take place in early January of 2017.

For months there has been talk around the interwebs that Disney was looking at bringing in the powerhouse Guardians franchise to the west coast, with much of the talk centered around an overlay of the Tower of Terror.  When complete the famous hotel will have scattered all of its ghosts and will look like this:

© Disney

Described as a "comically high-energy, rocking new adventure," Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout will be set in a giant building kept by The Collector, formally known as Taneleer Tivan.  The Collector is proudly showing off all his artifacts, which now include the Guardians themselves - held captive in giant display cases.  However, Rocket has escaped and asked riders (VIP helpers) to free the Guardians.  The actual ride takes place on a gantry lift and still will utilize the same ride system as Tower of Terror, but with all new special effects and a rocking soundtrack.  The ride cycles will all have different programs so each experience is a bit different.

© Disney

This look at the queue for the made-over ride shows that no remnants of the hotel theme will remain when the work is done.  Instead guests will peruse The Collector's display as they wait, which of course will include the Guardians.

Joe Rhode is in charge of the project, and is dropping hints that plenty more Marvel related attractions will eventually spring up in the Hollywood section of California Adventure.  He gives a lot more description about the new attraction in the below video.

The summer opening of the ride will tie in perfectly to the second Guardians of the Galaxy film, which will open just before it.  And to be perfectly clear, this change only applies to the California version of the ride, not the original Tower of Terror in Florida.