Although the final film in the Guardians of the Galaxy concluded the trilogy, many other actors vied to play Star-Lord, also known as Peter Quill (played by Chris Pratt). James Gunn was confirmed to helm the trilogy when the project was first revealed, and the cast then went through the casting process. Several well-known actors competed to join the MCU and play characters in Kevin Feige’s produced series.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt was one of them.
Even after the phenomenal success of their movies that helped create their cinematic universe, like Iron Man and The Avengers, Marvel Studios was still viewed as taking a chance with Guardians of the Galaxy.
Gunn’s action-comedy masterpiece heavily relied on Chris Pratt, who played Peter Quill and commanded the team with his appealing charisma.
However, it almost did not go that way. Since many other well-known actors were competing for the desired position.
Read Also: Chris Pratt Humiliated Tom Holland to Avenge His Guardians of the Galaxy Co-Star
Joseph Gordon-Levitt Was Almost Marvel’s Star-Lord Instead Of Chris Pratt
In the Guardians of the Galaxy film series, Chris Pratt did a commendable job as Star-Lord, a.k.a. Peter Quill. But he was not the one who was considered to play the role.
Several reports suggest that Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who essentially played Robin in The Dark Knight Rises tried out and passed a screen test to play Star-Lord.
Everyone was curious to know what James Gunn would bring to the Marvel fanbase when the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise was announced in 2013. The roles of Star-Lord and Gamora, however, were up for grabs with a host of other actors. Despite having a long list of candidates, Chris Pratt was chosen to play the male lead in the film.
According to a report from Deadline, Marvel was also interested in casting Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who had just enjoyed success with Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight Rises. Although it has not been confirmed whether Gordon-Levitt tried out for the part or not, his name was “in the mix” to land the role.
The rumors also claim that he turned down the role in favor of appearing in the 2014 sequel to Sin City.
For the unversed, Gordon-Levitt played the role of John Blake, a young policeman who works for the Gotham City Police Department, in The Dark Knight Rises. As he develops a close bond with Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne/Batman, Blake becomes one of the movie’s main characters.
Some Other Actors Considered To Play Star-Lord
Many renowned actors, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Krasinski, Aaron Paul, Joel Edgerton, and Zachary Levi, among others were considered for the role of Peter Quill (Star-Lord) in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Starting off with Aaron Paul, who had just finished the ground-breaking five-season run of the highly regarded Breaking Bad, was one of these actors.
John Krasinski was a candidate for a number of significant MCU roles over the years. Though, many fans might not be aware that, per Digital Spy, he was among the first actors publicly reported to be under consideration for the Star-Lord role. James Gunn ultimately made a different choice, though he made no mention of Krasinski’s audition process.
MTV revealed in 2012 that Marvel Studios was thinking about casting Joel Edgerton as Peter Quill, the movie’s main character, in the Guardians of the Galaxy. Despite the fact that it does not seem like he quite fits Gunn’s idea for the part, the actor was a serious enough candidate for the news of his consideration to surface.
Zachary Levi also tried out for the part of Star-Lord in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy despite having already been cast as Fandral in the MCU’s Thor: The Dark World, but he did not make the shortlist.
Well, Chris Pratt was chosen for the role after several other actors were passed over and turned down for the chance to play Peter Quill/Star-Lord. And, not to forget, he has done an incredible job of ingraining the Star-Lord in the audience’s hearts.
His latest and last film, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, did well financially.
The film is streaming on Disney Plus.
Source- Deadline
