Vin Diesel Says That James Gunn Wants A ‘Rocket & Groot’ Spin-Off

In the distant world of about 36 months ago, when the world was still marginally more sane and not on fire all the time, “Guardians Of The Galaxy” was not a franchise whose second entry was about to make an enormous amount of money. It was a Marvel gamble that was known, almost exclusively, among the general public as ‘oh, the raccoon and tree movie?’ But part of the brilliance of Gunn’s original was the way that he took the two strangest characters in Marvel history — murderous space-rodent Rocket and upbeat plant-creature Groot — and made them highlights of the movie.

READ MORE: ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2’ Is A Worthy, Surprisingly Emotional Follow-Up To A Superhero Classic [Review]

In part, it was because they got some of the best jokes, in part, because they got unexpected pathos: Rocket’s drunken rant as his creation, and Groot’s moving sacrifice are some of the most emotionally disarming moments in the MCU. The two characters have become fan favorites, and probably doubly so after Baby Groot’s turn in next week’s sequel, so it’s not entirely surprising to hear that a spin-off centered on the characters might be under consideration. Though it does appear to be a surprise to director James Gunn

Slashfilm found some interviews in USA Today in which Vin Diesel, currently making insane amounts of money in “Fate Of The Furious,” says that Gunn has talked about spin offing both his character of Groot and Bradley Cooper’s character Rocket into their own picture. “James Gunn has always wanted a Rocket and Groot movie. And I know that Disney is very much into being successful. And the most successful poster in Disney’s future is the poster that has ‘Groot vs. Hulk’ (The world) cannot wait to see it.”

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Gunn, in a separate interview, wasn’t quite so enthusiastic, though not to the point of actually denying it: “Vin has a lot of ideas. I don’t know where he comes up with these things! I love Vin,” the director told USA Today. It may be that Diesel has jumped the gun, or that he’s simply floating something he’d like to see, but you should never underestimate the star’s determination: he practically willed his way into the Marvel universe by continually posting on Facebook about it, and similarly willed the “Fast & The Furious” into a billion-dollar franchise, so this may well be something we hear about before too long.

If you’re in most territories outside the U.S, you can see “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2” right now, in the U.S, you’ll have to wait a week. “Rocket & Groot Get The Munchies” has no release date, if it does exist.