Director James Gunn confirmed that a spin-off movie for Rocket & Groot was planned before it became Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Fans have yearned for Guardians of the Galaxy members to branch off into their own movies, especially one starring Rocket & Groot. The two almost had a short film planned, but it was deemed "too much" by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and scrapped before it went into development.
However, Gunn recently revealed that he always felt that Rocket Raccoon was "always the secret protagonist" of the Guardians films. So, it's only fitting that the last movie of Gunn's trilogy finally explores Rocket's backstory.
But Gunn also revealed in a new interview that this threequel could have been a spin-off movie instead.
Rocket & Groot Spin-off That Almost Was
In an interview with io9, director James Gunn revealed that due to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 focusing so heavily on Rocket's backstory, he had considered at one point making it a Rocket and Groot spin-off instead.
Gunn said that Rocket's story should be reserved for the third movie, as he "thought we had to tell Peter Quill's story first." When it came time for the threequel, Gunn asked himself if it was "going to be a Rocket and Groot movie or was it going to be Guardians 3:"
"I always thought it was a third movie thing because I thought we had to tell Peter Quill’s story first and then get into Rocket’s story. I think the only question was, was it going to be a Rocket and Groot movie or was it going to be Guardians 3—because initially, I was going to do it as Rocket and Groot."
Ultimately, Gunn decided to make his last outing at Marvel Studios another team-up movie with Rocket still at the center.
Could This Movie Still Happen?
Thus far, fans know that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the last movie in the franchise for Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Sean Gunn, and possibly Pom Klementieff. Unfortunately, this leaves the fates of Rocket, Groot, and Nebula up in the air.
But it's not like Disney, an entertainment conglomerate focused on profit, to stop making more Guardians movies, so a new team of Guardians will likely be formed. It's only a question of that team still having Rocket and Groot in it.
It'd be insane for Disney to squander the toyetic as heck Groot, so he's likely safe, but that still leaves Rocket's life hanging in the balance. Gunn teased Rocket's fate to a fan on Instagram, but that could easily be a fake out.
Fans will discover what happens to Rocket and Groot when they see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on Friday, May 5.
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