When the teaser trailer for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" came out, the character that got the most attention was Groot, who had become a baby after the events of the first movie. Many have then speculated that the adorable Baby Groot was deliberately kept small to add a cuteness factor to the movie, and it's safe to say that Baby Groot merchandise will fly off the shelves after the premiere. However, writer and director James Gunn insists that Baby Groot is not a marketing gimmick at all.
His original plan was to have "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" take place years after the first movie, which would have given Groot time to grow back to his former size after his act of heroism at the end of the first movie turned him back into a sapling. Gunn explained the thought process that made him change his mind.
"To be honest, when I was first working on the script for Vol. 2 I was planning on it being years after the first movie and for little Groot to be a grown Groot. But there was something missing. First of all, I thought there was a lot of development the group needed to go through as a group - and it would be a shame for the audience to miss it. And, secondly, for whatever reason, Groot just wasn't working. It was then I came upon the idea of having Vol. 2 take place very shortly after the first film and for Groot to still be Baby Groot, with quite a lot to learn."
It seems that his decision to not go with his first idea was mostly due to issues of continuity and character development coming off of the first movie. The most beloved character in the franchise then became a whole new character but somehow still remains the same in essence. This brings a whole new dynamic to Groot as a character and how he interacts with the rest of the team, as seen in Baby Groot's hilarious scene with Rocket Raccoon in the trailer.
While it now looks like the obvious decision to take, Gunn was tentative about the new direction of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" at first as he wasn't sure how Marvel would take it. He then acknowledged that he later realized how effective Baby Groot would be in hooking the audience, but he states that marketing was "not the driving force of the decision."
"When I approached Marvel Studios with my idea for Vol. 2 I was afraid of the involvement of Ego the Living Planet - a rather, uh, broad character in the 616 universe of Marvel Comics. I was afraid of the inclusion of Mantis and Ayesha, and more prominent roles for Nebula and Yondu. But I was even more afraid of approaching them with the concept that Baby Groot, and not Groot, would be a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Yes, perhaps it seems like a hole-in-one idea now, but Groot was the most popular character in the first film, and sometimes when something works studios are more than a little reluctant to change.
To my happy surprise, my partners at Marvel were more than supportive about the big swings in the story of Vol. 2. They seemed to instinctively know, like I did, that what matters in the Guardians franchise is to keep giving people the unexpected.
All that said, I'm not an idiot. I knew if Baby Groot worked, the world would want Baby Groot toys and figures and plushies. But that certainly didn't seem like a certainty when I was alone in my office conceiving of a story, and it most definitely was not the driving force of the decision. I, like so many of you through the trailer alone, had fallen in love with the little dude - even though at that point he was only in my head."
From the looks of things, Gunn indeed hit the nail on the head with the new script and Baby Groot, which could then yield yet another monster hit for Marvel and the "Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise. The first movie was an enormous success when it came out in mid-2014, and fans are now eagerly anticipating its sequel. "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" premieres on May 5, 2017.
