Guardians Of The Galaxy: James Gunn Gives Update On Groot Growing In Vol. 3

Groot in Avengers: Infinity War

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is occupied by a ton of heroes, but there are a few that stand out among the rest as fan favorites. James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy are a prime example, especially the endlessly marketable Groot. Fans can't wait to reunite with the motley crew of heroes, and now the filmmaker has given an update about Groot's next stage of aging.

Groot made his debut in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, voiced by Vin Diesel. The giant tree sacrificed himself to protect his new friends, but was eventually revived as a little twig. Since then we've met Baby Groot and Teen Groot, and fans were wondering if that means he'll return to his OG form in the upcoming Guardians threequel. James Gunn recently did an informal Q&A on social media, and was asked this very question. He responded saying:

Well, there you have it. The current Groot is an entirely different character altogether from the one we met in the first movie. As such, James Gunn warns that we shouldn't expect to see the character eventually take the same form he did in the original Guardians of the Galaxy.

James Gunn's update about Groot comes from his personal Instagram Story. Despite his controversial history with social media, he often uses outlets like Instagram and Twitter to directly communicate with film fans. He recently started dialogue for an informal Q&A on the gram, where the aforementioned question about Groot was answered.

The Guardians of the Galaxy's time in the MCU is currently available to streaming on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

With the exception of a prequel or flashback, it looks like Marvel fans won't be treated to the fully adult version of Groot in the MCU. But that doesn't mean the beloved creature won't be changing in James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. We'll just have to wait and see exactly how different he'll be in the highly anticipated blockbuster.

Of course, the Guardians of the Galaxy will first return to the big screen in Thor: Love and Thunder. At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Thor departed aboard The Benatar with the team to cosmic destinations unknown. These scenes will presumably feature more of Teen Groot, or as the God of Thunder calls him "Tree." But since the Guardians actors have already left Sydney and presumably wrapped their roles, we probably shouldn't expect too much of the team in Taika Waititi's blockbuster.

While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was originally meant to be one of the first installments in Phase Four, James Gunns' temporary firing and his subsequent gig helming The Suicide Squad resulted in the project being delayed a number of years. Gunn recently shared how emotional it was writing the movie, which should end the trilogy, as well as the narrative surrounding the current team of Guardians.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is currently expected to arrive in theaters in 2023. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your next movie experience.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.