Marvel has been hitting it out of the park this week with hype-worthy announcements, first with Paul Rudd being cast as Ant-Man, and now with the final confirmation that Groot will be voiced by Vin Diesel.

Diesel has been dropping hints about his involvement with Marvel since this July. Since his fellow cast mates have freely discussed the idea of Diesel as Groot, this confirmation from Marvel has been long overdue.

Diesel joins an excellent supporting cast, including Chris Pratt as Star Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon, and Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer. The rest of the cast is flanked with A-list stars the like of Glenn Close, John C. Reilly, Benicio Del Toro, and Doctor Who favorite Karen Gillan.

Needless to say, the cast is heating up quickly, and we’re not even sure we’ve seen the end of the list. It’s been heavily rumored that Thanos is due to make another appearance after his Avengers curtain call, and the presence of his grand-daughter Nebula (played by Karen Gillan) in the ensemble helps bring credence to those rumors.

Maybe Marvel was so tight-lipped about Diesel’s involvement in the film because he’ll be lending his voice to more than one character? If Thanos is indeed involved, then what about actor Damion Poitier, who gave his likeness to that of the Mad Titan last year? Will we finally hear Thanos speak in Guardians of the Galaxy?

Only time will tell, but even after over a dozen announcements relating to this mysterious space-adventure, we still get the feeling that there’s something special about Guardians that Marvel hasn’t told anybody yet. For now, all of these breadcrumbs serve as a good appetizer, a decent Christmas present, and a hint of what’s to come in the future. (And hopefully it involves that long-awaited trailer.)