Can you imagine the movies The Guardians of the Galaxy sin Chris Pratt? The actor who today lends his voice to Super Mario had the double responsibility of being the axis and the heart of a group of second rate heroesor at least in the well-deserved shadow of the Avengers, and ended up being one of the great surprises of the Marvel cinematographic. Precisely for this reason today it is surprising that it had to be the study itself that fool james gunnthe director of the trilogy, in the dispute over the role of Star Lord himself.
In fact, and despite the efforts of Marvel Studios, Gunn was very clear why he did not want Pratt for his film: the image he had of him was that of an actor who played simple and clumsy characters. How the goofy Andy Dwyer of Parks and Recreations was going to lead The Guardians of the Galaxy? Well, seen from that point of view, perhaps you can understand his reasons.
Sarah Finn, the casting director, was of the exact opposite opinion to Gunn. She had closely followed Pratt’s trajectory and how she fit for the rambunctious and irreverent tone that she wanted to give the project. He could be that centerpiece behind a complicated cast for roles that, we won’t deny, played in a different league than Iron Man, Hulk, and Captain America.
Another very different thing is that a James Gunn desperate to find the perfect Star Lord granted him an audition. However, Sarah Finn had a plan to get away with it.
James Gunn was looking for the perfect Star Lord, but he didn’t count on Chris Pratt
Taking advantage of the context of the event USC SCA 10 Years of Marvel held in 2018, and in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the release of Iron Man and the launch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, James Gunn, Sarah Finn herself and producer Kevin Feige -a key person at Marvel Studios- sat down to reflect on the milestones of the initiative and to answer the audience’s questions.
Among the answers given, the two reasons why Gunn (current head of DC and the fate of Superman) considered that Marvel movies were better than average: Feige’s vision and how he managed to get people to give their best himself unexpectedly.
And then he gave the example of how Pratt ended up wearing the Star Lord helmet.
“I remember coming out of the second round of imaging we were doing, or something like that, and we’d already seen like 15 guys. And I remember that night I didn’t even have a good time because we hadn’t found the right person. And it was also aware that from the studio executives they already had their eye on someone and would say “we want this one” or “we want this other one”.
And then I prepared myself for the next day with my body made up for the same thing to happen again like, “We’re not going to find the right guy and we’re going to have to keep looking.” And it is a bit what usually happens during the whole process. And then Sarah insisted that she had to see Chris Pratt… And I said to her The fat guy from Parks and Recreations? Nothing of that.”
To put us in context, it had not yet been released or Jurassic Worldnor the new version of The seven magnificentsso the two associated roles for Chris Pratt until then were Andy Dwyer from Parks and Recreations y Scott Hatteberg en Moneyball.
Was he really prepared to lead a supergroup? Well, Sarah Finn not only had her comedic undertones, but she was perfectly aware that Pratt had gotten into shape to play The darkest night did very little
Chris Pratt en Parks and Recreation
But of course, that was not the problem. The image that Gunn had of Pratt did not fit with the film of him.
“The truth is that I saw him clumsy. In fact, I had seen him in a single scene from [Parks and Recreations] And it wasn’t even a series that I watched. But I remember that in that scene everything was falling and he looked very clumsy and he was hitting everything. And he thought, that guy? It’s stupid. And I kept refusing. And I kept refusing. And I kept refusing. And one day she cheated on me.
With that scenario and Gunn’s disposition, it was impossible for Pratt to take over the role of Star Lord. In fact, he hadn’t even the slightest intention of watching him read the script: he already had enough to do with finding the right one to be wasting his time on someone he considered clumsy. However, Sarah Finn was not only guided by his intuition, but he took the initiative on his own.
She tricked me because I walked into the office to see other actors that she had already given the all-clear and all of a sudden… Oh! Here’s Chris Pratt! Well, I guess I have no choice but to watch him read the script.
And well, then we went in, we began to see him read and -for the record that this is completely true- about twenty seconds after listening to him I turned to Sarah and said “This is it”. We knew it. she knew it. Immediately. He was the guy”
At this point, it’s time to clarify something essential: How is it that Sarah was so sure of what she was doing and that Chris Pratt was the right one? Well let’s say it was not the first reading that the Minnesota actor did for Marvel Studios.
A “What If?” Unexpected: The Other Superhero Chris Pratt Almost Made
Although Andy was the role most associated with Pratt until his jump to the big screen, the truth is that his career took off coinciding with his arrival at Marvel Studios, although Guardians of the Galaxy It would not be the actor’s only blockbuster in a succession of critical and public successes based on very well-chosen projects.
However, it’s really possible that somewhere in that Marvel multiverse it’s quite possible that instead of wearing that cool helmet and guns and the Marauders emblem he’s carrying a rather less inconspicuous item on his arm: before he earned his role. by Star Lord, Chris Pratt competed with Chris Evans for the role of Captain America.
And Sarah Finn knew it firsthand.
“Bueno, [Chris Pratt] He auditioned for us several years before and… Well, I think I can say it: for Captain America. And well, it wasn’t ideal but there was something in him that conveyed heart and a kind of nobility, and also involvement and authenticity… So I started to track him down. Well, that’s our job as casting directors.
And she was aware that he was interested. And I saw Moneyball, and I knew it could be fun, which is something that James [Gunn] needed. That kind of humor, like Robert Downey Jr and Iron Man, so you’re also looking for an actor who can internalize his character in a unique way.”
And yet not all credit goes to Chris Pratt. Sarah Finn knew to see something in him that James Gunn missed. But now comes the truly unique thing about the story: Originally, Pratt wasn’t interested in Guardians of the Galaxy either.
As James said, he saw great actors who did great script readings, but none of them got to that “magical” point, and we continue to do readings. And at first Chris [Pratt] he had no interest in the project either. He had to get in shape and he didn’t see himself leading…
And that’s where I thought “If he’s not interested we’ll just have to move on.” We had the first round of imaging tests. Then we had the next one and it didn’t work either and then the same thing happened to me as [James Gunn] and then, a little desperately, I started to get heavy with [Chris Pratt] because in the end I couldn’t get it out of my head and there was no one special. AND [Pratt] finally said yes. And then James told me “I don’t want to see him”
So, from that point on, Sarah Finn, with a bit of ingenuity and quite a bit of mischief, managed to make them both coincide in the studio. 20 seconds later, the search for Star Lord was over.
Now James Gunn has plans for his Guardians of the Galaxy… at DC
Chris Pratt is an essential cog in the movies of The Guardians of the Galaxy. Perhaps for this reason, and without going into details, the end of James Gunn’s trilogy seeks that intentional ambiguity with the immediate future of the group. What we can confirm without scaring anyone is that James Gunn Ends His Marvel Stage. What’s more, he even has plans to get some of the toughest heroes in the universe back from him.
We know that there will be actors from Marvel, and more specifically from The Guardians of the Galaxy, which will end up making the leap to DC movies and the projects that Gunn has with Warner. We assume that the director, producer and head honchos -half- of the studies no longer have that predisposition with Pratt.
and well even they have allowed themselves to joke about a possible small role for Chriss Pratt in this new stage of Gunn with the rival of Marvel Studios.
James Gunn: “I was hoping I could cast you as Krypto the Superdog [en Superman Legacy]. You could do motion capture on set and walk on your hands and knees, but you can’t talk.
Chris Pratt: “I’ll do Krypto but you have to pay me in crypto.”
James Gunn: “I will pay you in cryptocurrency, which equals zero dollars. [Risas]
Chris Pratt: “It looks like there’s going to be a character named Krypto in Superman: Breaking News.”
James Gunn: “It’s a scoop, I guess.”
Chris Pratt: “That’s how it’s done. You are fired. Back to Marvel. [risas]
Truth, lie or a little of each, the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy has been crucial for Marvel Studios. And if both -or at least one of the two- are equally inspired by the DC Universe, good times are coming for fans of superhero movies.
