‘Groot returns’: Umm, did Vin Diesel just give away the plot to the next ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ movie?

Vin Diesel can be relied upon for three things: to hate The Rock with his whole heart, to say the word “family” approximately 105 times per Fast & Furious film, and to let slip more about his Marvel commitments than is probably wise. Now he’s guilty of the third on the list yet again — teasing a future for Groot beyond the conclusion of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Following James Gunn’s migration to DC, the Guardians don’t seem to be a priority for Marvel right now, although it would be a surprise if the studio retired such popular characters as Groot and Rocket Raccoon for good. Thankfully, Vol. 3 left both characters on the table for a potential return. In particular, Groot was portrayed as more muscular than ever — a development that Diesel spoiled years prior to the film’s release when he promised the coming of “Alpha Groot” way back in 2020.

So what’s next for Groot? We’re not sure we were supposed to know this yet, but it sure sounds like Diesel is in talks to reprise his role for a possible solo spin-off film.

“Marvel’s most anticipated movie”: Vin Diesel claims Marvel is making a surprising Guardians follow-up

Vin Diesel accurately guessed exactly what cinephiles everywhere were thinking in the wake of the Oscars when he took to Instagram to offer an update on all the projects he has in the works. “Anora this, The Brutalist that,” we were all saying. “Forget about them, what we want to know is when’s there gonna be another xXx film?”

Well, for all those Xander Cage enthusiasts out there, Diesel confirmed in his post that he’s teaming up with Lionsgate to start early development on both another installment in the xXx franchise and The Last Witch Hunter 2 — Chronicles of Riddick fans, though, this isn’t your day. On a less niche note, Diesel also hinted that he’s been in touch with Disney, too, in order to bring back everyone’s favorite talking tree.

“Also, Disney wants their Planet X!” he revealed. “Which some say is Marvel’s most anticipated movie, haha. The film where Groot returns to his home planet.”

In the comics, Groot does indeed hail from Planet X, although this detail has hardly been explored in the MCU to date (itss only mention comes in a visual Easter egg in the first Guardians). It is surprising that Gunn never found the room to include Groot’s backstory in his trilogy, although this was likely a result of his planned Rocket & Groot off-shoot getting cancelled. So it adds up that Marvel would dust off this idea in some form to make it the spine of Guardians 4.

But is A Grooty Movie (title TBD) really happening? Back in 2016, Diesel did also promise his fans that “somewhere in the universe, you’re going to see Groot and Hulk battle,” which didn’t end up happening in either Avengers: Infinity War or Endgame. Groot’s secret origins is perhaps the biggest mystery left from the Guardians trilogy, and its best shot at powering on post-Gunn, so the Fast X frontman might be onto something. Or maybe he’s just eager to get paid a seven-figure sum for saying three words again?