The search for Marvel Studio’s newest lead actor has ended, and the role of Star-Lord goes to… Chris Pratt! Just like the title says! Pratt will be joining no one in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, the next big franchise coming to us in Marvel’s Phase 2. Still pretty early in it’s development, GotG has yet to cast any other members of the team or reveal much about the story, but casting this role is a huge step forward.
Pratt will be playing Peter Quill, a highly trained astronaut who eventually discovers he is a human/alien hybrid. He takes on the role of Star-Lord, which is basically a space cop, and eventually forms and leads the Guardians of the Galaxy, through a bunch of cosmic shenanigans. Obviously there is a bit more to it than that, but with the little we know of the movie, it’s hard to speculate on the direction they will take. Deadline reports further on some of the actor’s who were on the shortlist for the role:
[box_light]Marvel had made test deals with Zero Dark Thirty‘s Joel Edgerton, Boardwalk Empire‘s Jack Huston, Cloud Atlas‘ Jim Sturgess, Lee Pace (who has roles in both Lincoln and The Hobbit), and Eddie Redmayne from Les Miserables. More recently, Zachary Levi was identified as a candidate. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was pursued, but he has other plans. An August 1, 2014 release date for the pic is planned.[/box_light]
With some other rumors floating around that the studio was checking the availability of both Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler for possible roles, it looks like they will be focusing on a more comedic take for the adaptation. Carrey and Sandler would presumably be voicing either Rocket Raccoon and/or Groot, two destined to be CG’ed members of the team. A comedic take on the series is nothing new, considering the previous Marvel movies have all had their own sense of humor to films.
This isn’t to say there won’t be a seriousness to the film, or that Pratt’s casting isn’t considered as a serious role. He has played the dramatic well with roles in Moneyball and Zero Dark Thirty, the latter of which he bulked up considerably to play. I think it’s a great choice for Star-Lord, and a great chance for Pratt, who many have come to know and love as Bert Macklin Andy Dwyer on Parks & Rec.
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This news makes me a little more excited for GotG, and while some fans are doubting the decision to bring such an unknown (to the mainstream audience) property to the big screen, I feel differently. I think it’s a smart move by Marvel, if anything to see just how much of the Marvel Universe they can get potentially turn into films. This is a proving ground of sorts to the Marvel way of making movies. If GofG does well, than one can assume Marvel will be more inclined to take a few risks.
With the newest announcement of Dr. Strange making it into Marvel’s Phase 3, not to mention the rumors of a Planet Hulk movie circulating, I have a feeling we can expect good things from Chris Pratt and Guardians of the Galaxy. And with Pratt being the first cast and Iron Man 3 nearing the cinema, it’s not far fetched to think that Star-Lord might be the rumored post-credit cameo appearance in IM3.
As always, we’ll have more info here as production continues. James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy is scheduled to hit theaters on Aug. 1, 2014.
What do you think of Pratt as Star-Lord? Let us know in the comments section below!
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