Guardians Of The Galaxy is on its way, and this August 1st, you're going to be surrounded by people being fully converted to the charms of Groot and Rocket Raccoon. These two are poised to take over Hollywood, and as the marketing campaign kicks in, Marvel and Disney are going to have to emphasize the specific Guardians that puts butts in seats, hence the above poster, courtesy of Fandango.
And why not? It's a raccoon with a gun, and a talking tree. It's also the film's two biggest stars: Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, and Bradley Cooper suiting up as Rocket Raccoon. Oddly enough, neither of the actors' names are on this poster, which is Marvel showing a considerable amount of confidence in the film's outlandish space-faring premise and its goofy characters. As a film's marketing campaign moves forward, more complex movies get boiled down into more simple concepts, and it seems like there's definitely the possibility that Guardians Of The Galaxy becomes the talking-raccoon-and-tree movie, as opposed to a film that pushes the star power of Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista. Whatever works.
Rocket Raccoon actually has a long history, one that predates the more modern interpretation of the Guardians. Created in 1976 and inspired by the Beatles' Rocky Raccoon, he was initially seen as something of a joke character, sparsely used by Marvel and frequently popping up in other characters' books. With the movie, Rocket Raccoon is ready for his closeup, as the character will now appear in an ongoing series for Marvel Comics just in time for the film's release.
Groot has an even longer history. The character was created in 1960, before Marvel mainstays like the Hulk, Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four. Originally conceived as a villain from a plant planet, Groot has since grown fond of Rocket Raccoon, and the duo are inseparable as current Guardians. Groot only says three words, "I am Groot," but each time he's actually attempting to convey a different thought. It does appear that Mr. Diesel is very much dedicated to replicating every possible nuance of Groot's character.
Reportedly, Marvel has trademarked the Rocket Raccoon name, which suggests there are bigger plans for him. Signs point to Guardians Of The Galaxy being a possible one-off film, but a Rocket Raccoon movie could be a fun gateway into the larger cosmic Marvel universe. Could a Rocket Raccoon and Groot movie have the duo meet the likes of Adam Warlock or Ego The Living Planet, characters that would just be too celestial to cross paths with Captain America? And would you want to see it? It's a bit early to ask these questions, but the answers will seem pretty clear when we catch Guardians Of The Galaxy this August.
