Bradley Cooper Confirmed As Voice of Rocket Raccoon in 'Guardians of the Galaxy'

The potential in Marvel's offbeat Guardians of the Galaxy was already great, but now it just became "limitless". Last week rumors began to surface that Bradley Cooper was in talks to voice the CG-animated Rocket Raccoon in the film, with those discussions confirmed soon after. It appears that the ink is dry on the deal now as Marvel has just issued a statement officially welcoming Cooper on board.

The Oscar-nominated actor will bank a few days voicing the popular Rocket Raccoon, joining Vin Diesel as Groot, Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, and Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer. While plot details on the James Gunn-directed film are still mostly under wraps, it's expected they'll face the threat of Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) and the "Mad Titan" Thanos. Benicio Del Toro, Glenn Close, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Michael Rooker, Ophelia Lovibond, and Karen Gillan round out an impressive cast. Here's Marvel's official statement on Cooper's signing....

Rocket Raccoon has finally found his voice!

Academy Award-nominated actor Bradley Cooper has officially joined the cast of Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy," lending his voice to the fan-favorite raccoon that will join Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Drax (Dave Bautista) on their epic adventure.

Cooper has previously starred in "Silver Linings Playbook," for which he was nominated for an Oscar®, "Limitless," "Place Beyond the Pines" and the "Hangover" trilogy, the latter of which has grossed $1.4 billion globally. He will next be seen in "American Hustle" which will reunite him with "Silver Linings Playbook" director David O. Russell. "Guardians of the Galaxy" will mark Cooper's first voiceover work.

In the far reaches of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, an unlikely cast of characters including Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Groot and Rocket Raccoon must join forces to defeat a cosmic force of epic proportions. Directed by James Gunn, the live-action "Guardians of the Galaxy" will take fans to new corners of the Marvel Universe when it hits theaters August 1, 2014, but in the meantime stay tuned to Marvel.com for the latest news as it breaks, including official casting, first looks and more!

In addition to "Guardians of the Galaxy," Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including "Thor: The Dark World" on November 8; "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" on April 4, 2014; "Avengers: Age of Ultron" on May 1, 2015; and "Ant-Man" on November 6, 2015.