Director James Gunn and actor Michael Rooker have developed quite a close friendship and working relationship over the years. The two first worked together on the 2006 horror flick Slither, in which the actor played an alien parasite-infected pus monster, and they have been close ever since, working on the 2010 indie action-comedy Super, the pilot for the never-made television series Humanzee!, and even the 2012 video game Lollipop Chainsaw (which Gunn wrote). This summer we will get to see the latest collaboration between the actor and the filmmaker, as Rooker will be playing a supporting role in Gunn's Marvel Studios space epic Guardians of the Galaxy, and while recently speaking to the Unrendered Podcast (via Comic Book Movie), the star revealed a few previously unknown details about the new blockbuster.
When Rooker joined the cast last year it was reported that he would be playing the part of Yondu, an original member of the Guardians of the Galaxy in the comics, but one thing that fans should be on the lookout for on the big screen are the changes that have been made to the character's look. Referencing some set photos that were released a few months ago while Guardians was in production, Rooker said, “As you can see from some of the photos out there, I’m not in a loincloth. I don’t have a major, major fin thing that goes down my back. We haven’t visually gone with the way that Yondu was in the comics."
Unfortunately, what Rooker didn't get into was any details about the personality or history of the character he is portraying. First created back in 1969, Yondu was first introduced as an alien hunter with the ability to create empathic relationships all living forms. He became a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy when the universe needed to be protected from an alien race known as the Badoon, but was with the group at a different time than Star-Lord, Gamora, Groot, Rocket Raccoon and Drax The Destroyer - the central characters of Gunn's film. It's not entirely clear how Yondu will fit into the story of the new movie or if he will have a similar backstory to the version from the comics.
The actor also talked about what we can expect from the film aesthetically, beyond just his character. Commenting that there are plenty of "lovely, beautiful colors" and that the production was a "beautiful shoot," Rooker lauded the work that is being done by his director friend, saying, "James Gunn was an awesome, awesome director to work with again. I’ve worked with him before in the past, and it was great to get to do it again."
Guardians of the Galaxy, which also stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, Benicio Del Toro, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Peter Serafinowicz and Gregg Henry, will be in theaters on August 1st.
