Marvel was unhappy with Bradley Cooper’s Guardians of the Galaxy performance, James Gunn reveals

Cooper’s voice role as hot-tempered raccoon sparked minor controversy

Bradley Cooper’s voice performance in Guardians of the Galaxy sparked upset with a former Disney/Marvel executive, director James Gunn has revealed.

Cooper voices a hot-tempered talking raccoon named Rocket in the MCU franchise.  Despite being a favourite among Marvel fans, however, the performance initially proved controversial.

“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 Tuesday (22 December).

“I was like, we hired him because he’s a great ACTOR. That’s the point! He’s creating a CHARACTER!”

Gunn has been answering fan questions on Twitter throughout December, with his Cooper anecdote coming about after one fan asked how the Oscar nominee was cast in the movie.

Gunn also revealed that actor Zoe Saldana was always his “number one choice” for the role of Gamora in the franchise.

Earlier this month, Amanda Seyfried revealed that she was initially offered the Gamora role, but turned it down as she was worried the film would flop at the box office.

Bradley Cooper, and Guardians of the Galaxy’s Rocket Raccoon (Steven Ferdman/Getty Images/Disney)

“I didn’t want to be part of the first Marvel movie that bombed,” she explained. “I said, ‘Who wants to see a movie about a talking tree and a raccoon?’ Which is clearly – I was very wrong.”

Gunn will return to the Guardians franchise with a forthcoming sequel, after completing The Suicide Squad for Marvel rivals DC.