COMMENT | Just in time for 2014, we get our first look at what just might be one of the biggest big screen hits of the year, as Marvel release the first official photo of the 'Guardians of the Galaxy.'
In a direct recreation of a piece of promotional concept art released in 2013, we have (from left to right) Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Starlord, and Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer. Also in the non-humanoid ranks we have Rocket Raccoon and Groot, to be voiced by Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel respectively.
[Vin Diesel officially cast in Guardians of the Galaxy]
Curiously, this image is said to have come from quite early in the film's production, and the designs of Rocket Raccon and Groot have subsequently been improved - though I'd say both look pretty impressive already.
If this image looks suspiciously like a police line-up, that's probably not an accident, for - as both Chris Pratt and writer/director James Gunn have remarked recently to Empire Magazine - the Guardians of the Galaxy are set to be the bad boys (Gamora notwithstanding) of the Marvel movie universe.
Says Gunn, "Our characters are basically all villains to begin with. They don't believe they're individually good and they don't believe each other is good, and through the course of the movie they discover they're heroes. If The Avengers are The Beatles, these guys are The Rolling Stones."
[Zoe Saldana: Guardians of the Galaxy 'Robin Hood' heroes]
Much about the project has raised eyebrows from the get-go, considering that by mainstream standards it's a comparatively obscure title in the Marvel pantheon, and that such a diverse team has come together to make it. Chris Pratt acknowledges this, emphasising 'Guardians' will not be your standard Marvel movie.
"Maybe it's a risk, I dunno. I think every movie Marvel's made has been a risk and they're risks that pay off really big. So I hope for the movie's sake, and my sake, that this one pays off. The story's really good and Marvel really knows what they're doing."
Pratt also hints at a more comedic bent than we're necessarily used to from Marvel (though 'Thor: the Dark World' certainly tipped the scales a bit there):
"It's not as broad as 'Galaxy Quest' but it's not a straightforward space fantasy like 'Star Wars.' I think it's the sort of the best of both of those films put together... and more!"
Will this latest Marvel gamble pay off? We'll see come August 2014.
