Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn shared his idea for a short film that would have shown how Rocket Raccoon met Groot.
“I wrote a short film explaining the origin of how Rocket & Groot met,” Gunn wrote on Threads. “It was even storyboarded & location scouted & we did test footage for it (it was seen at SDCC in the ‘trailer’ we cut together after 12 days of shooting). But I didn’t have time to do it as Vol 1 amped up. In it, Tibius Lark, Groot, and Rocket were all imprisoned in a deep well in the ground. Tibius was on the verge of dying. He explained to Rocket he had been caring for Groot for years.”
Gunn shared the idea after a fan asked about the background of Tibius Lark, a character mentioned briefly in the first Guardians of the Galaxy. On this, the filmmaker wrote, “He was a former zookeeper in a shitty galactic-side zoo. He explained he had saved Groot, who was on exhibit there, & that Groot was a loyal friend. He asked Rocket to please take care of him, & then he died. As he died Rocket looked down in the dark cell & noticed he was a robot, the lower body of his body smashed open and mechanical.”
“The guards above ground heard something rumbling & they turned & saw Rocket & Groot bursting up from the ground,” Gunn added, “Rocket on Groot’s shoulder, & in Rocket’s hands was a machine gun made from Tibius Lark’s body, & he shot all the guards & they escaped & were together until they met the Guardians. That’s who Tibius Lark was.”
In August 2022, Marvel Studios released I Am Groot on Disney+, a series of five animated short films following the adventures of Baby Groot between the events of the Guardians of the Galaxy and the end of GOTG Vol. 2. Though Rocket appears in one episode of the series, taking on a paternal role to his infant companion, the episode does not delve into the history of their relationship the way Gunn’s proposed short film would have. Marvel may be developing more Groot shorts in Gunn’s absence, but it is unknown if the studio will use his idea in the future.
Gunn and Pratt Planned a Star-Lord Solo Film
Gunn’s plans for expanding the Guardians franchise did not stop at a Rocket and Groot short film. The director recently shared his and Chris Pratt’s idea for a Peter Quill standalone feature. “Chris and I, forever, have talked about how great it would be to be able to do a Legendary Star-Lord movie,” Gunn said. “A story with Star-Lord on Earth trying to adapt to the environment of Earth in the same way that somebody else might try to adapt to the alien environment of outer space. He’s a fish out of water in just kind of regular water. So I can’t wait to see it.”
Though Gunn’s role as the co-CEO and co-president of DC Studios rules him out of future Marvel Studios projects, the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 promises fans, “The Legendary Star-Lord Will Return.” It is currently unknown if the character will headline his own solo film or be a supporting player in another MCU project like he was in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Fans can still see Star-Lord and the rest of the Guardians in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, now in theaters.
Source: Threads