You Will Never Believe the Actors Who Almost Played Star-Lord in the MCU Instead of Chris Pratt

Chris Pratt has now played Peter Quill/Star-Lord across six theatrically released movies, plus the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special for Disney+. The original Guardians of the Galaxy, plus fellow 2014 box office hit The LEGO Movie, propelled him to a new level of stardom that led to lead roles in projects like the Jurassic World trilogy, The Magnificent Seven, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Taking on this once-unknown Marvel superhero clearly benefited Pratt’s career in ways that are still reverberating throughout his filmography.

Despite Pratt’s profound connection to the Star-Lord character, though, he wasn’t always a shoo-in to play this guy. As Guardians of the Galaxy was gearing up to start principal photography, the tenth Marvel Cinematic Universe movie had lots of options to play its leading man that went far beyond this Parks and Recreation veteran.

Who Else Was Up for Star-Lord?

Though the MCU had kicked off its existence focusing on largely more obscure superheroes, the five primary cosmic characters anchoring Guardians of the Galaxy were easily the most unknown of the franchise’s earliest protagonists. Star-Lord was not a household name, there were no real expectations for what he should or shouldn’t act like. Thus, an exceedingly eclectic list of male actors was first reported to be testing for the role in December 2012. What other Marvel superhero could attract names like Eddie Redmayne (known for playing smaller, intellectual fellows) and Joel Edgerton (a burly, more brooding actor known for Warrior and Animal Kingdom)?

Jack Huston, Jim Sturgess, and future Ronan the Accuser performer Lee Pace were also confirmed as testing for the part. The rumored names didn’t end there, though. Thor: The Dark World performer Zachary Levi also tested for the part, an early sign of the kind of comedic man-child sensibility James Gunn and Marvel Studios brass wanted for Peter Quill/Star-Lord. Other names tossed around online included Michael Rosenbaum (who would appear in the two Guardians sequels in a different role) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Given that the latter actor was also one of the finalists for Scott Lang/Ant-Man when Ant-Man was casting, Marvel Studios clearly had a brief passion for securing this Inception veteran.

[RELATED: Marvel’s Chris Pratt Reveals Requirement for Star-Lord Return]

Famously, Glenn Howerton, of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fame, was the second choice to play Peter Quill, if things with Pratt hadn’t worked out. Another sitcom veteran like Pratt, Howerton would’ve undoubtedly brought a more intense edge to the Quill. It’s unclear how that would’ve worked out in the final film, but it’s a certainty that his Star-Lord would’ve been radically different from the one Pratt inhabited.

What Was With All the Potential Star-Lord Casting Choices?

Years after the first Guardians of the Galaxy became a box office sensation, Gunn has been very open that he was struggling to find the right Peter Quill. He and the rest of the crew went through countless auditions and famous names without ever finding someone who sounded just right. Marvel Studios casting director Sarah Halley Finn has since recalled how she was pushing Pratt for the part for a long time, but neither Pratt nor Gunn were enthusiastic about the idea for different reasons.

Eventually, though, the stars aligned and Finn was able to coordinate it so that Pratt could audition for Gunn. After just a few seconds of seeing Pratt play Peter Quill/Star-Lord, all of Gunn’s hesitations over whether or not he could buy Andy Dwyer as an action star were gone. Gunn knew he had his guy. With that, a new blockbuster star was launched, a sharp contrast to many of the other leading men who auditioned to play Star-Lord.

So many of the figures attached to Star-Lord beforehand, namely Gordon-Levitt, Levi, and Rosenbaum, had prior experience in blockbuster movies and/or superhero fare. The idea of them anchoring an MCU title wasn’t at all outlandish. However, Chris Pratt, circa. February 2013 (when his casting was announced) was a total wild card. After Guardians of the Galaxy seemed destined to be headlined by one of the many names that were always attached to early 2010s blockbusters, Pratt swooped in to take the part that changed his career forever. Neither the MCU nor the character of Star-Lord would ever be the same.

Guardians of the Galaxy is now streaming on Disney+.