If you would have told us ten years ago that Lady Gaga would be playing Lylla the talking space otter in an MCU movie, we would have called you crazy. But here we are! The world has changed, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has evolved, and things just keep getting crazier! If the rumors are true, Lady Gaga may indeed be portraying Rocket Racoon’s girlfriend Lylla in next year’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3.
Prevailing rumors have suggested the pop star could be voicing the character in the upcoming sequel. Could this be possible? Otter things have happened…
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SWIMMING THROUGH THE RUMOR POOL OF GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3
The origin of this rumor started all the way back in 2019 when Film Updates tweeted the following (via ComicBook.com):
“Lady Gaga is reportedly being considered for the role of Lylla, Rocket’s love interest who is set to make an appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. This would mark a reunion between Gaga and Bradley Cooper, who voices Rocket, after last year’s “A Star is Born.”
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) June 17, 2019
The tweet has since been deleted, but not before Hollywood Life published an article corroborating the same story. All of this was, of course, not long after Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga had worked together on A Star is Born, which became an immediate overnight sensation, and launched Lady Gaga into the conversation as a movie star in addition to being a vaunted singer. The casting choice would certainly make a lot of sense in the wake of that film, as fans would be happy to see the pair costar together again. You know, so Cooper can get another look at her.
However, three years later, this rumor still hasn’t been confirmed, but neither has it been completely debunked. This is particularly notable when we consider that director James Gunn is usually very quick to jump on Twitter and shoot down any bogus leaks and rumors, and he has remained suspiciously silent on this topic for the last three years.
Though we still don’t have any idea who will be voicing the character of Lylla, we do know that she will be appearing in the movie thanks to the most recent trailer, which has stirred up the waters of the rumor pool all over again. But who is Lylla, and what will her role be in Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3? Let’s break it down…
SHE’S IN THE DEEP END, WATCH AS SHE DIVES IN
In the comics, Lylla is the love interest of everyone’s favorite trash panda, Rocket Racoon. Lylla was captured and held in the same experimental facility as Rocket on Halfworld, undergoing some of the same horrific torture and body modifications. This facility was run by the High Evolutionary, a mad scientist who experimented on animals to enhance their bodies and give them sentience, and who we know will be the main villain of Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3, played by Chukwudi Iwuji.
Writer and director James Gunn has long said that the final film in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy will dive deeply into the backstory of Rocket, whose tragic history has only been briefly alluded to in the MCU. He’s often referred to the little furball as “the saddest creature in the universe,” and Gunn reiterated that Rocket will play a larger part in this film than he had previously.
Also, the recently released trailer did give us some shots of a baby Rocket in a cage, as well as a quick shot of Rocket and Lylla together and embracing, presumably after being reunited. The trailer also depicted some footage of the High Evolutionary himself, as well as a human-looking town full of what appears to be animal-like hybrids. This strange town could very well be one of the High Evolutionary’s experiments and could be where the Guardians come in contact with Lylla.
Gunn has insisted that this film is going to pull at our heartstrings, and the internet is already getting misty-eyed over mere seconds of footage, so we can only imagine what it’s going to be like when the film releases next year. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 releases exclusively in theaters on May 5th, 2023
But what do you think? Would you be excited to see Lady Gaga join the MCU? Do you think she’s been cast in the role of Lylla, or do you think it will be another actress voicing the character? Let us know on social media!
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SOURCE: ComicBook.com, Hollywood Life, The Direct
