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Vin Diesel cast as Groot in Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy'

Vin Diesel cast as Groot in Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy'

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Groot
Groot

It's been a banner week for comic book movies. After officially casting Paul Rudd in the title role for 2015's Ant-Man, Marvel has tapped Vin Diesel to play the sentient tree Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy, due to hit theaters on August 1st, 2014.

Diesel is playing one of the strangest Marvel characters

Diesel has already had a busy year, coming off the release of his rebooted Riddick and the sixth entry in the long-running Fast and Furious franchise. Still, the actor's been talking up the role without confirming his involvement for months — he even told The Los Angeles Times in August that he found it interesting to go after "the strangest Marvel character."

As Groot, Diesel will team up with Parks and Recreation's Chris Pratt, who was cast as the superhero Star-Lord earlier this year. Rounding out the cast of intersteller heroes are Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, and Dave Bautista, playing Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, and Drax the Destroyer, respectively.