Vin Diesel Officially Confirmed for Marvel's GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

After months of speculation, Marvel has finally confirmed that Vin Diesel will officially voice 'Groot' in the upcoming live-action film GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY. The studio posted the news this weekend, with the photo on the left attached.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY will star Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon, Chris Pratt, as Peter Quill aka Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana, as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser, Michael Rooker as Yondu, Karen Gillan as Nebula, two-time Academy Award nominee Djimon Hounsou as Korath, with Academy Award winner Benicio Del Toro as The Collector, Academy Award nominee John C. Reilly as Rhomann Dey, and six-time Academy Award nominee Glenn Close as Nova Prime.

Directed by James Gunn ("Slither,""Super") from his screenplay, with a story by Nicole Perlman and Gunn, the film will introduce audiences to a whole new side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Marvel Studios' President Kevin Feige is producing the film. The executive producers are Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Jeremy Latcham, Alan Fine and Stan Lee; the co-producer is Nik Korda.

The creative team includes director of photography Ben Davis, BSC ("Wrath of the Titans", "Kick-Ass"), production designer Charles Wood ("Thor: The Dark World"), BAFTA-nominated Editor Fred Raskin ("Django Unchained," "Fast Five") and Academy Award-winning editor Hughes Winborne, A.C.E. ("The Help," "Crash"), and Academy Award winning costume designer Alexandra Byrne ("Marvel's The Avengers," "Elizabeth The Golden Age"). The film will also shoot at Longcross Studios, and locations in and around London.

Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" is slated for an August 1, 2014 release in the U.S.