How Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord Influenced James Gunn’s Superman Casting Decision

With the release of the first poster for the film, can finally see David Corenswet as Superman. Earlier this year director and DCU boss James Gunn spoke to ComicBook and other journalists about this big debut from the set of the new movie, revealing that he sees casting as one of the most important parts of getting these comic book adaptations right. One of the key things that helped him while looking for his Clark Kent was something the director says he leaned from his experience casting Chris Pratt as Star Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Gunn said that he “took cues from” Marvel Studios’ casting process when he chose Pratt to play the lead in his own MCU series. He said: “So, I’ve always been taking tips from those casting processes all along. I’ve always believed that the casting is the most important, and that as long as the actor is the best possible actor for that role, that’s more important than it is for a name.” He pointed out that raw celebrity doesn’t influence box office success as much as it used to, concluding: “So, I just wanted to go for who was the best Superman.”

It may be hard to recall now, but back in 2014, Pratt was considered a surprising choice for a superhero movie – or even an action movie in general. He was best known for his role as Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation, where he didn’t have the fit, muscular look associated with Star Lord. He did shape up in 2012 to play a Navy SEAL in Zero Dark Thirty, but it still caught many fans off guard to see him playing a hands-on hero.

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Corenswet is in a slightly similar position – best known for playing the projectionist in Pearl back in 2022. Gunn said “a lot of people auditioned” for the role of Superman, and admitted: “I was so crazily nervous about getting Superman ready, on the very first day of the tapes coming in, I had seen [David] Corenswet in Pearl, so I said ‘Get him on, get him on.’ I said, ‘Get him on the tape.’ And then the very first day [I] came in, David’s tape and Rachel [Brosnahan]’s tape, I saw both of those and I went, ‘Oh my God, we’re going to be okay. Because both of these people are amazing.’”

“Then we did something that I didn’t do with Guardians,” Gunn added, “which is, I cast the two leads together and they all came in and we had this 15-minute-long scene that they have to act together and talk and discuss and just communicate. I mixed and matched all the different couples, and it was simple magic when the two of them came up. I’ve got to say, it’s one of my greatest filmmaking moments.”

The DCU technically starts with Creature Commandos, which is streaming now on Max. However, the continuity will make its big screen debut with Superman on July 11, 2025.