It's Official! Marvel Announces Bradley Cooper Will Voice Rocket Raccoon in 'Guardians of the Galaxy'

Following Marvel's announcement earlier this week that James Spader has joined the cast of Avengers: Age of Ultron as the robotic main title villain, they have dropped another huge and highly anticipated casting announcement to kick off Labor Day Weekend.

Marvel confirms that The Hangover and Silver Linings Playbook star Bradley Cooper will provide the voice of Rocket Raccoon in the James Gunn helmed Guardians of the Galaxy.

Per Marvel:

"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."

Cooper joins the cast of Marvel's Phase Two sci-fi epic alongside Chris Pratt (Peter Quill / Star Lord), Glenn Close (Nova Prime), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Lee Pace (Ronan The Accuser), Karen Gillan (Nebula), John C. Reilly (Rhomann Day), David Bautista (Drax The Destroyer), Djimon Hounsou (Korath The Persuer), Michael Rooker (Yondu) and Benicio Del Toro (The Collector). The waiting game continues for the official word on whether Vin Deisel will voice Groot or not.

The James Gunn directed film is set for an August 1, 2014 release.

Follow @NerdyRScoundrel