Guardians of the Galaxy Director Reveals One Former Marvel Studios/Disney Exec Questioned Casting Bradley Cooper
As it turns out, not everyone seemed to be alright with the idea of having Bradley Cooper join the [...]
As it turns out, not everyone seemed to be alright with the idea of having Bradley Cooper join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Well over six years ago, the Oscar-nominated actor landed the role of Rocket Raccoon — something he could record entirely in a studio and not have to provide any motion capture for. Tuesday afternoon, Guardians of the Galaxy helmer James Gunn was taking part in one of his typical Q&A sessions when he revealed there was one Marvel Studios executive not on board with the casting role, especially if Cooper didn't sound like his regular, normal self.
"One exec - who is no longer with Marvel Studios/Disney - saw an early cut & said 'Why did we pay money for Bradley Cooper if he doesn't even sound like Bradley Cooper?!" Gunn tweeted in response to a fan. "I was like, we hired him because he's a great ACTOR. That's the point! He's creating a CHARACTER!"
One exec - who is no longer with Marvel Studios/Disney - saw an early cut & said “Why did we pay money for Bradley Cooper if he doesn’t even sound like Bradley Cooper!?” I was like, we hired him because he’s a great ACTOR. That’s the point! He’s creating a CHARACTER! https://t.co/TzW7IMQ4gB
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 22, 2020
Since 2013, Cooper has been nominated for an Oscar on eight occasions, most recently for producing Todd Phillips' Joker. He also has three Best Actor noms under his belt for Silver Linings Playbook (2013), American Sniper (2015), and A Star is Born (2019).
In the same thread, Gunn also revealed how he pitched the original Guardians feature, including the book and storyboards he used to get Kevin Feige and the creative team on board with his direction.
My pitch for Guardians was a 19 page document on the visuals, a huge sequence I storyboarded (the escape from Morag) & a whole presentation with visuals & references & actors. My pitch for 2 was basically, “His dad is Ego the Living Planet!” Marvel was like, “Cool, go!” https://t.co/bltLnybdpA
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 22, 2020
Both Guardians of the Galaxy movies are now streaming on Disney+. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is currently scheduled for a Christmas 2022 release.
What other cosmic characters would you like to see join the MCU at one point or another? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter to chat all things MCU!
Cover photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic