Bradley Cooper will be reprising his role as Rocket Raccoon before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 releases in theatres on May 5, 2023. Cooper last voiced Rocket for Thor: Love and Thunder and was already confirmed for The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which will release on Disney+ during the 2022 Holiday season. However, the first Guardians of the Galaxy-related spinoff series, I Am Groot, is hitting Disney+ on August 10, and it looks like this is where audiences will see Rocket next.
Details on Marvel Studios’ first series of shorts, centering on Baby Groot, were mostly kept under wraps. Besides Vin Diesel confirming on social media that he will be reprising his role as the lovable baby tree and that the series would comprise of five shorts, not much else is currently known. Marvel may be saving the details on I Am Groot for their Marvel Animation panel at San Diego Comic-Con. However, the studio recently premiered one of the shorts, titled “Magnum Opus”, in front of select Thor: Love and Thunder screenings at the El Capitan Theatre. As a result, details about I Am Groot that were not previously known have been confirmed.
One of those details is Cooper’s involvement in the series. According to The Direct, the Academy Award-nominated actor’s name appears during the end credits of the short. Cooper is now the second Guardians of the Galaxy cast member to reprise his role for the series, alongside Diesel. This will mark the actor’s sixth overall appearance in the MCU, after appearing in the first two Guardians films, Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, and, most recently, in Love and Thunder.
In the previous films, Rocket and Groot have already been established as close friends, so it isn’t a surprise that the fan-favorite raccoon would be appearing, in some way or another, in the show. But it is surprising that Cooper has reprised his role for the Disney+ animated series, as several Guardians-related actors did not reprise their respective roles for What If…? Drax and Peter Quill appeared in the show, but they were not voiced by Dave Bautista and Chris Pratt. Rocket also appeared, but his appearance was a brief, voiceless cameo.
If Rocket appears in the first short of the series, then it’s clear that other Guardians of the Galaxy members could also briefly appear throughout the five shorts. It is still unclear if Rocket will appear in other shorts than “Magnum Opus”. However, Bradley Cooper’s addition to the show certainly makes sense if Rocket will have a recurring presence throughout the shorts and it’ll be interesting to see if anyone else reprises their roles during the other four shorts. Regardless of which Guardians appear and who voices them, I Am Groot is poised to have plenty of surprises as the series explores five Baby Groot adventures as he travels the Galaxy with Rocket and the rest of the Guardians.
Source: The Direct
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