Marvel Adds Cast Members to a Pair of Projects

With news last week that Vin Diesel’s long rumored role in a Marvel movie will be as the voice of Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy, the core Guardians team stands as follows:

Drax the Destroyer – Dave Bautista
Gamora – Zoe Saldana
Groot – Vin Diesel
Star-Lord – Chris Pratt
Rhoman Dey – John C. Reilly
Yondu – Michael Rooker
Korath the Pursuer – Djimon Hounsou
Ronan the Accusor – Lee Pace
Rocket Raccoon –

Now that’s leaving out a couple key figures like Glen Close’s Nova Prime and Benicio del Toro’s Collector, and it’s also assuming that Ronan and Korath prove more heroic than villainous, not a given with their history in the comics. But any way you slice it, there is one gaping hole on that roster: Rocket Racoon. We know that the character will be computer generated, but so far director James Gunn has been coy about who he’d like to see in the role.

Well, today the Latino Review is saying that sources are telling them that Bradley Cooper has been offered the role. Our initial reaction was one of surprise – just yesterday we were talking about how busy his upcoming schedule is – but since the gig would just be voiceover, it’s possible that Cooper could finish his part on an accelerated schedule. It would certainly still be a squeeze, as Guardians of the Galaxy is due to hit theaters in just under a year, but the more we think about Cooper’s wiseass performances in the Hangover movies, the more we hope it works out.

The other bit of Marvel news today has to do with their other Phase 2 team-up movie – The Avengers: Age of Ultron. It’s been rumored for a while that Joss Whedon wants Scarlet Witch in the film, and Bleeding Cool is reporting that Elizabeth Olson (Liberal Arts) is in advanced talks for the role, this after first choice Saoirse Ronan (Hanna) passed on the part. Scarlet Witch will be one of several new characters in the Avengers sequel, along with Quicksilver (to be played by Kick-Ass‘s Aaron Taylor Johnson in Avengers, but appearing separately in X-Men: Days of Future Past courtesy of Evan Peters, another Kick-Ass alum) and the Falcon (a role Anthony Mackie is rumored to be filling).

Guardians of the Galaxy, the penultimate film in Marvel’s Phase 2, will hit theaters August 1, 2014, and will be followed by Avengers: Age of Ultron the following May.