UPDATE: Turns out, strange things really are afoot. "Guardians of the Galaxy" is indeed Marvel's mystery movie for a May 2014 release, sources confirm to The Hollywood Reporter.
An official announcement will be made in a few weeks at San Diego Comic-Con.
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Marvel Films, in true Marvel Films fashion, has been coy and secretive about what's been referred to as the "Marvel Mystery Movie" that we should expect in theaters in 2014. Well, according to Latino Review, that film is going to be "Guardians of the Galaxy."
The Guardians could be referred to as the "future Avengers," a superhero team dedicated to the safeguarding of the Milky Way galaxy in the 31st century. The collective was first introduced in "Marvel Super-Heroes" #18 (1969) and the current members include Rocket Racoon, Bug, Gamora, Groot, Drax, Star-Lord, Major Victory, Mantis, Martyr, Cosmo, the Spacedog, Moondragon and Jack Flag.
There are, of course, years of mythological intricacies when it comes to the history the Guardians, and you can knock yourself out with the details at Marvel Wiki. The current task at hand, however, is seeing if there's any truth to this report.
For now, we kind of doubt it. This would be an insanely expensive undertaking, even for a behemoth like Marvel Films. They'd have to bring the 31st century to life, a world (an entire universe, actually) filled with crazy technological advances and other visions that would bear a heavy price tag. And the task of putting together an ensemble cast to portray yet another superhero team — especially from scratch and without the introductory benefits of individual stand-alone films — seems like a daunting one indeed.
However, what makes us most skeptical about the validity of this report is ... well, are the Guardians of the Galaxy "big" enough to warrant their own movie? Pretty much everyone even vaguely familiar with comic books (and pop culture in general) knew who the Hulk and Thor and Iron Man were before their respective live-action movies, but can the same be said for the likes of Groot and Moondragon?
And, uh, what about all this talk about a "Black Panther" movie? Seems like quite the far-fetched change in plans, even on the rumor scale.
Then again, stranger things have happened. Stay tuned to see how Marvel Films responds to all of this — apparently they'll be making a formal announcement next month at the San Diego Comic-Con.
(Originally published at 7:09 p.m. ET on June 28, 2012).
