Bradley Cooper has had a remarkable journey as an actor. He appeared in many successful movies- some dominated the box office while some led him to numerous critical accolades. Cooper has a British Academy Film Award and two Grammy Awards. Further, he was nominated for nine Academy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award.
Following his acting debut in 1999 in the TV sitcom Sex and the City, his first feature film was David Wain’s 2001 comedy Wet Hot American Summer. Later, he appeared in The Hangover, which was the big breakthrough of his acting career. Later, Cooper had many notable works added to his resume including He’s Just Not That Into You, and notable action roles in Limitless, Hit and Run, and The Place Beyond the Pines have shaped his stardom.
Several critically acclaimed movies are under his belt as well. He received Oscar nominations for his roles in Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, and Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper. Cooper made his directorial debut in A Star Is Born. He also co-wrote the script and played the leading role alongside Lady Gaga.
Bradley Cooper in the MCU
Joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Bradley Cooper voiced the famous animated character Rocket Raccoon in 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy. The character later extended to another two films in the franchise and Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame of the Universe. Directed by James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy is considered MCU’s one of the most successful franchises.
However, Cooper and Marvel’s relationship has been in quite a buzz in the past years. Evidently, Cooper does not appear in the promotional events of the movies for the studio which raised ample questions among fans. As per reports, Cooper’s contract only required him to voice the character, the physical actor is Gunn’s brother Sean Gunn. His contract also excuses him from public promotional events as his face is not directly associated with the MCU movies, similar to Vin Diesel.
While Cooper is voicing Rocket Raccoon from the studio, Sean Gunn does all the heavy lifting the character needs. Commenting on Sean’s role, the director explained that Sean is not a stand-in. He is a motion reference actor which literally translates to filming everything Sean does on set as Rocket.
“I don’t stop doing takes of him until we get the performance right and then we use that performance as a basis for much of Rocket’s acting. And he does a fantastic job in that role. He knows it. He understands it. And also very important, Sean is able to physically do something most actors aren’t able to do, which is waddle around on all fours. He’s always been an incredibly limber guy that can to do a lot of strange physical things. And the fact that he’s able to waddle around on his legs all day long at the exact height of Rocket is quite a feat and quite, quite difficult.”
Initially, fans assumed that there was some bad blood, but it appears that Cooper simply had a commitment to other projects and he was emerging as a director at the time.
Is Bradley Cooper Joining DCU?
Perhaps, at least a recent tweet from a verified fan handle, Home of DCU has indicated that Cooper is joining DCU. According to the tweet, Cooper said, “I go wherever James [Gunn] tells me and Peacemaker was just an incredible series.” Following the statement, fans are assuming that Cooper may appear alongside Peacemaker. However, there is no official confirmation from the studio about the same.
Bradley Cooper on joining the DCU:
“I go wherever James [Gunn] tells me and Peacemaker was just an incredible series.” pic.twitter.com/SuE0txsaon
— Home of DCU (@homeofdcu) May 5, 2023
The Guardians have quite a strong relationship with their director, James Gunn. The stars are also somewhat responsible for bringing Gunn back to MCU following his dismissal after decades-old tweets stirring controversy. While Gunn’s franchise is ending with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, many actors may join the Gunn-dominated DC Extended Universe.
Like the other stars in the movie, The Hangover star has a keen relationship with Gunn. It was Gunn’s vision to bring Cooper to voice the character, which later became MCU’s one of the most notable characters. Earlier, Gunn revealed that a former Disney/Marvel executive and director was not in favor of Cooper’s voice. Gunn tweeted,
“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!”
After the last installment of the Guardians franchise, Gunn would focus on his job at DC and many of his close friends could appear in his version of DCU.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was released on 5 May 2023 and is now running in theatres.
Source: Twitter
