Vin Diesel’s Facebook page – with something like 45-million ‘likes’ – is a news source in its own right. So when he started hinting at a collaboration with Marvel, and put a picture of Groot up, the rumor mill starting turning.

Vin Diesel and Paloma Jimenez Vin Diesel and Paloma Jimenez at the premiere of Riddick

At least now he’s gone into some detail about what his mysterious meetings with Marvel were about. "What can I say about Groot? I can say something about Marvel," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "I take my hat off to them for being so creative and thinking outside of the box."

And the meetings that he teased us about? Well, it was all about a new idea; a fresh IP (intellectual property). “That was the focus of our conversation — a fresh IP that would come out in 2016 or 2017, and potentially launch the third phase," he added.

"With my schedule, it was almost impossible to imagine I could do anything immediate," said Diesel. "I guess after they watched Iron Giant, or whatever, they came up with this idea of taking the strangest Marvel character - or the strangest Marvel character that's ever hit film - and thought what I could do with that with motion capture and with my voice," he said.

Vin DieselVin Diesel is a man in demand

So, basically, Diesel is doing Groot – that’s a thing. And his meetings with Marvel may still prove fruitful, as it was only his current schedule that stopped him coming up with something. Our guesses are: he’ll be brilliant as the alien tree, and 2017 will probably see an original new movie from him and Marvel.