In the midst of The Avengers frenzy in the MCU, James Gunn introduced a new superhero ensemble with the 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy starring actors like Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, and Dave Bautista among others.
However, bringing an ensemble cast for the movie proved to be challenging for the filmmaker, especially after Pratt became the first actor to join the movie as Star-Lord, a character he would embody for almost a decade.
James Gunn Opened Up About Casting Challenges for Guardians of the Galaxy
Chris Pratt, known for portraying Star-Lord in the MCU for the past decade, had to face tough competition from several actors for the part. However, after a brief meeting with the film’s director, he was able to get a hold of what Gunn was looking for.
It made him only more confident about landing the role, as he recalled during an interview with MTV News. “It started just becoming real. Then it did. I had a screen test for it,” he said before adding, “I was like, ‘Oh, I got this. This is mine. This is mine now.’ I knew going in.”
And he did eventually land the part. However, Pratt landing the role of Star-Lord later became an issue in casting for the rest of the ensemble. James Gunn shared during a conversation with Superhero Hype, “One of the problems with casting the rest of these roles is that Chris Pratt was the first person we cast.”
Gunn shared that Pratt’s physical stature of 6’2″ imposed challenges to balance the physical dimensions of the cast. He noted that he wanted to cast actors who could make him appear somewhat smaller in comparison. However, even actors like Jason Momoa seemed smaller next to Pratt.
“Chris Pratt is enormous, you know? An actor like Jason Momoa would come, and he’s smaller than Chris, basically,” he said. However, having actors like Dave Bautista, 6’6″ and Lee Pace, 6’5″, as Drax the Destroyer and Ronan the Accuser, respectively, helped him balance out the physical dimension among the cast.
Chris Pratt is Open to Returning as Star-Lord in the MCU
With James Gunn taking command of the DC Universe, the future of the Guardians of the Galaxy has been uncertain in the MCU. Several cast members including Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista have also expressed their desire to move on from the character.
However, Chris Pratt is still very enthusiastic about reprising his MCU character, Star-Lord. “Of course, I’d be open to it. I love the character,” he recently told IGN, before adding,
It changed my life. If it came along and it made sense and I felt like it was a story worth telling, then I’d certainly, certainly be open to it. I love playing Star-Lord.
However, Pratt also shared that it is hard to determine the circumstances for his return while acknowledging that it would be hard to continue the journey without Gunn. “It’s hard to imagine what that would look like,” he said before adding, “But it’d be tough to do without James.”
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 saw Peter Quill returning to Earth, leaving Rocket in charge of the Guardians. However, the studio has yet to share any definitive updates about his next appearance in the MCU.
Guardians of the Galaxy film series is available to stream on Disney+.
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