MCU Almost Looked Very Different, James Gunn Lifts Lid

James Gunn’s corner of the MCU could have looked very different after Marvel execs weren’t impressed with his casting choices.

Now he’s leading the DC cinematic universe but before that James Gunn brought us some of the best Marvel films ever made, the Guardians Of The Galaxy trilogy.

When we last saw the intergalactic protectors in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 they unfortunately disbanded, though a new team took their place led by Rocket Raccoon and Groot.

The previous leader Star-Lord, played by Chris Pratt, is now residing on Earth and will presumably return for the upcoming Avengers films, but according to James Gunn Chris Pratt nearly fumbled the now iconic role entirely.

In a recent episode of the Peacemaker podcast Gunn recalled Chris Pratt’s audition for the role, and how he was blown away by the actor’s performance and knew he was going to be his Star-Lord.

Disney

However when it was time to present a screentest to Marvel executives Pratt’s performance was nothing like his original audition, prompting a backstage talk between actor and director.

"He was so... He was just, just hurting” began Gunn, “I went behind the scenes with him, and I was like, 'This isn't good. You've got to get it right, man.'”

Chris Pratt has also spoken about the screentest, saying Gunn pulled him behind-the-scenes and said "I don't know what you're doing, but you're blowing it. This is the moment right now. You just need to stop doing whatever you're doing and just be real. Just be you."

After continuing to struggle, a quick improv session with Dave Bautista got Pratt and the project back on track, leading to the best trilogy in the MCU being made.

Who else could have played Star-Lord?

While Chris Pratt performed well in his audition James Gunn has confessed that he never considered the actor would be the right choice prior to actually meeting him.

Other actors in the running included Glenn Howerton who was apparently the second choice for the role, Eddie Redmayne and Zachary Levi, amongst others.

With the multiverse still a major player in the current MCU phase there’s a good chance we’ll see an alternate version of Star-Lord pop up in a future project. In fact we already have Chadwick Boseman’s variation in Marvel’s What If?..

That said, I think Chris Pratt has truly made the role his own, and I doubt the Guardians Of The Galaxy films would have been such a success without the enthusiasm and charisma he brought to the team.