When Iron Man kicked off Marvel’s ever-expanding cinematic universe five years ago, who would have thought we’d get a tentpole directed by James Gunn, featuring Chris Pratt, John C. Reilly, Benicio del Toro and now, the voice of Vin Diesel? As production recently kicked off for Guardians of the Galaxy, Diesel has dropped many rumors regarding his involvement in a certain Marvel property, but now confirmation has officially come in.
While many assumed it could be a villainous role in Joss Whedon‘s follow-up to The Avengers, it looks like the studio simply wants his gravely voice. Teased on his Facebook with the change of a cover photo, then later confirmed by Deadline, the Fast & Furious star is taking the role of Groot in Galaxy, a character with the ability to use to gain strength and heal, as well as control trees. Known for his catchprase, “I Am Groot!” to those that can not understood his genuine voice, he is also hyper-intelligent.
As we await additional information, check out our first photos of our cast on set (from Tumblr via The Hollywood News), specifically on the Millennium Bridge in London. Featuring a host of mostly unrecognizable characters, it’s about as weird (and hopefully wonderful) as expected.
Also starring Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan and Djimon Hounsou, Guardians of the Galaxy opens next August.