There’s plenty of excitement to look forward to in upcoming Marvel movies and upcoming Marvel TV shows, including the Avengers, New Avengers, X-Men and Fantastic Four teaming up for Avengers: Doomsday in December 2026. However, when it comes to the Guardians of the Galaxy, it appears our time with this group of cosmic heroes is over, at least for now, following the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2023. Nevertheless, Vin Diesel is pitching more appearances for his character Groot, and I honestly wouldn’t mind if the story he has in mind came to fruition.
When we left off with the walking and talking tree at the end of Guardians 3, he finally got to say something other than “I am Groot” and was serving on the new incarnation of this team alongside Rocket, Kraglin, Adam Warlock, Cosmo, Phyla and Adam’s pet Blurp. So if there comes a day when Marvel Studios is willing to bring back Groot, where does he go from here? Here’s what Diesel had to say on Instagram about this subject:
I was always fascinated by the origins of how the Hobbit came to be… the idea that it started as a story a father would tell his children around a campfire. As you know, I have been deep in development and writing on so many of the characters I have grown a bond with. Just recently, I read to my family, The Arbor King… the long awaited story of Groot’s return to Planet X… There’s movies the world wants, my incredible fans want and of course the ones the kids want. We are Groot!
This caption was attached to two pictures: the first shows Vin Diesel hugging his daughter while wearing a black shirt that has “I am Groot” written in white letters on the back, and the second depicts fan art of a badass, glowy Groot face to face with a bearded Hulk. What exactly is going on here? Well, Diesel talking about “development” and the fact that there’s no existing story called The Arbor King makes it sounds like this is the name of a script that Diesel has been working for Groot, and he felt comfortable enough to share with his family.
The Planet X detail in particular further proves that, as Vin Diesel said back in March that “Disney wants their Planet X,” which he jokingly described as Marvel’s most anticipated movie. I would certainly be down to see this story unfold, especially if it would allow for Diesel to continue saying more dialogue for the character besides “I am Groot.” Not only would we finally get to meet other members of the Flora colossus species, but we’d also see the full extent of King Groot’s power.
What’s unclear, however, is if this is something that Marvel Studios officially has in development or if the company is waiting to read this script before making a decision. I’m also curious if Hulk is actually in The Arbor King or if Diesel just picked that artwork because it looks cool. Fingers crossed we get clarification on where things stand with this project soon, because if Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4 is off the table. I would definitely welcome reuniting with Groot in this kind of cinematic setting.
