I'm still not sure I fully understand why Marvel Studios is moving forward with a movie based on the characters in the Guardians of the Galaxy. Even as an avid comic book reader, both growing up and presently, my knowledge about the superhero group is minimal at best, which means that the general public will have absolutely no idea who they are (at least characters like Ant-Man, Doctor Strange and Black Panther have some recognition). Because of the move, however, there is going to be a lot of pressure on the heads of the filmmakers left responsible for bringing the project through development, and now one of those filmmakers has been revealed.
THR has learned that writer Chris McCoy has been selected by Marvel Studios to do a brand new rewrite of The Guardians of the Galaxy script. The original draft was written by Nicole Perlman, though the trade doesn't say why the studio won't be using her version. As of now the plot of the film is being kept a secret, but it is known that the group will consist of Star-Lord (a half-alien/half-human intergalactic vigilante), Rocket Raccoon (a genetically altered animal with a taste for guns and explosions), Groot (basically a living tree), Drax The Destroyer (a resurrected man brought back as a green warrior bent on killing Thanos), and Gamora (an alien and only survivor of her species who was actually once saved by Thanos and trained as his assassin).
McCoy doesn't have any produced credits, but he does have a history of solid scripts. Dating back to 2007, three of his spec scripts have found their way onto the Black List, the annual list of the most popular unproduced screenplays in Hollywood. This included Get Back in 2007, Good Looking in 2009, and Good Kids last year. THR says his scripts are known for having a "quirky comedic bent," which should serve a film with a talking raccoon well.
