Bradley Cooper, Rocket Raccoon Rumor [VIDEO]: Marvel Casts 'Silver Linings Playbook' Star in 2014's 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Major Role?

According to a new report, Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper has been offered the role of Rocket Raccoon in the highly anticipated Marvel film Guardians of the Galaxy. This report is currently being treated as a rumor until director James Gunn makes the official announcement.

Though Rocket Raccoon is a tiny character in the film, he will allegedly serve as the "heart of the movie." Director James Gunn described the character by saying:

"It's about creating a character that's a little animal that's taken and experimented on, pulled apart and put back together again and implanted with cybernetics. He's half machine and half raccoon and he's a little gnarled, miserable pretty angry creature because there's nothing else like him and that's not easy to be."

When Gunn was asked about casting the character last month, he responded:

"I think there's - here's the thing: there are a lot of people who have a lot of ideas of who is right for Rocket Raccoon. Rocket Raccoon has been slightly different over the years, in the comic books, and within my scripts he is a very, very specific guy, and I think people are going to have to wait for a few weeks before they see."

He added: "We'll have to wait for a few weeks to see. We'll get our dream guy, because a lot of people want to do it, so we'll get the person who's perfect for the role."

It has been about a month since he said the announcement was coming soon, so maybe with this news about Cooper being cast spreading, he'll officially announce it much sooner.

Do you think Cooper will make for a good Rocket Raccoon? Perhaps you had someone else in mind for the role? Let us know your opinion in the comments section.

And CLICK HERE for a special Rocket Raccoon teaser!