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The Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown into a massive universe, but there are a few franchises that have risen to the top as fan favorites. James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy is certainly one of those, with each member of the motley crew becoming instantly popular upon their debut. But it turns out that prior to the 2014 original movie, one Marvel exec clashed with Gunn over Braley Cooper voicing Rocket Raccoon.
James Gunn assembled a killer cast to play the Guardians of the Galaxy, including Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper in voice roles as Groot and Rocket. And while the version of Groot that debut in the first Guardians movie sounded like Diesel, Cooper's voice transformed into another character entirely. It's for this reason that one former Marvel executive was unhappy about Cooper being hired at all, as Gunn recently shared on social media:
Touche. While getting big name actors for movies can help get the attention of the general public, voice roles are a bit more elusive. And when Bradley Cooper went all in on Rocket's signature speech pattern, a former head honcho at Marvel was disappointed that he was unrecognizable as the foul mouthed Guardian of the Galaxy.
The above story from James Gunn comes from his personal Twitter page. While tweets got the filmmaker in hot water for a while, he often uses social media to directly communicate with fans-- especially regarding his work on Guardians of the Galaxy and his upcoming DC blockbuster The Suicide Squad. And while his work with the Guardians has been universally acclaimed, he had to fight some battles ahead of introducing the team to the MCU.
The Guardians of the Galaxy's collective tenure in the MCU is currently streaming on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.
Rocket is a unique presence in the MCU, as he's one of the few major Marvel characters to brought to life completely through visual effects. Actor Sean Gunn plays the character on set in motion capture pajamas, before the Guardian is rendered through CGI. Eventually Bradley Cooper gets in the booth, and the magic of Rocket comes alive on the big screen.
Bradley Cooper shares the honor of having a voice role with Vin Diesel, who famously plays Groot. And while the unnamed former studio head took umbrage with Cooper's payday, at least he said more than three words throughout the course of the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Diesel has now played Groot in four Marvel movies, only ever uttering the worlds "I am Groot." What's more, the last three have seen his voice edited to reflect the character's age within the timeline.
The MCU will continue with Black Widow on May 7th, 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
