Vin Diesel broke the news on Facebook several weeks ago that Marvel wanted to sit down with him for a meeting about one of their upcoming projects. At the time the buzz was centered around the actor possibly being cast as Thanos, the teaser villain from the first movie. However, at this year's Comic-Con, director Joss Whedon revealed that the main villain would be Ultron, not Thanos. Now casting rumors are putting Diesel in Marvel's other Phase 2 film, "Guardians of the Galaxy."
According to the L.A. Times, Diesel is rumored to have been cast as the voice of the hero that closely resembles a tree named Groot. The film, which boasts an impressive cast and made headlines when star Chris Pratt, of NBC's "Parks and Recreation" tweeted a photo of his new superhero body to fans.
The "Fast and Furious" veteran would be a good choice for voice over work as his low monotone will be a welcome tension builder in the super hero ensemble story that will combine live-action heroes like Pratt with CGI characters like Diesel or Michael Rooker's character in the film as well.
Diesel fanned the rumors even more when he posted a picture of Groot to his facebook page. Despite the not too subtle hint, Marvel has declined to comment on the current casting rumors surrounding the star of this summer's "Riddick."
The film is written and directed by James Gunn and is currently filming outside of London and is set to debut next August. Based on the Marvel comic series of the same name, the movie follows the exploits of Peter Quill, also known as Star Lord, who will be played by Pratt. His squad of aliens, which includes several strange beings including Groot, as they battle cosmic threats and try to maintain stability. The film will be set in the very same universe as The Avengers and all the other Marvel films. However, like the comics, the plot takes place several years in the future and leans more heavily on classic science fiction tropes.
