Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is all about Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), according to director James Gunn. In an exclusive interview with Collider’s Steven Weintraub, Gunn also underlines how Marvel Studios and Disney gave him full creative control over the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the third and final chapter in Gunn’s beloved MCU trilogy. So, as the movie’s trailer underlines, our favorite band of outlaws will have one final adventure before this iteration of the superteam is either killed or retired by Gunn. In addition, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will focus on Rocket’s backstory, officially turning him into the franchise's most important character. Some might think Marvel Studios and Disney wouldn’t be too happy about Gunn possibly killing key MCU characters or not splitting the focus equally between every Guardian. However, as Gunn tells us:
“I really don't ever remember any resistance. I think that people were really good with it. I mean, there was a time when I talked to those guys [Marvel Studios] about just doing the Rocket story, like the third movie would actually just be Rocket. Then we decided to do it as a Guardians movie with the Rocket story inside of that. But I don't remember any resistance.”
How Rocket’s Origin Connects to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Plot?
During our exclusive interview, Gunn also revealed new details about the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 plot. As Gunn explains, the movie will follow the Guardians as they try to save the life of Rocket. However, as Rocket approaches death, we’ll follow the furry hero as he remembers his origins. In Gunn's words:
“It's like [The Godfather Part II], right? Yeah, we go back repeatedly, so the story is being told in two different ways at one time where we go back and forth from the present day to the past. Through a lot of the movie, it's really… Rocket’s about to die. So it's about the Guardians trying to save Rocket's life, and as they're trying to save Rocket's life, he keeps getting closer and closer to death, and as he's getting closer and closer to death, we go into him and we experience what his memories are.”
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 also stars Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, Zoë Saldaña as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, and Pom Klementieff as Mantis. MCU newcomers also include Will Poulter as fan-favorite Adam Warlock, Chukwudi Iwuji’s villainous High Evolutionary, The Suicide Squad’s Daniela Melchior, and Superstore’s Nico Santos. After making her MCU debut in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’s Maria Bakalova also returns as the voice of Cosmo the Spacedog.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 flies to theaters on May 5, 2023. Here's more from our exclusive interview with James Gunn and what the movie deals with.