The Actors Who Almost Played Star-Lord In The MCU

Chris Pratt has been the face of Star-Lord in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2014 with the premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy, but that almost wasn’t the case. In fact, a slew of other actors got far in the casting process before Pratt won the gig. The role has since become an integral piece of the franchise, even beyond the realm of Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Star-Lord, a.k.a. Peter Quill, is a popular Marvel Comics superhero, debuting in 1976. The character made his first live-action MCU appearance as the central figure of James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy. After being abducted by an alien group known as the Ravagers, the half-human half-alien acted as a rogue until he found an unlikely family in a group of criminals, including Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), Drax (Dave Bautista), and Gamora (Zoe Saldana). The Guardians went on to join the Avengers in their fight against Thanos (Josh Brolin) in Avengers: Infinity War.

Following Star-Lord’s first appearance in the MCU, it was clear that the studio had big plans for the charismatic character. Marvel undoubtedly looked to cast an actor for the long-term, but they also needed someone to perfectly embody the various layers of Star-Lord. Many notable actors were considered and even screen-tested, including Garrett Hedlund, Aaron Paul, Jim Sturgess, Chris Lowell, and Wes Bentley. A few other actors, however, got a bit further in the process for the highly coveted role.

The Names Seriously Considered For The Role Of Star-Lord

The Office‘s John Krasinski was nearly cast as Captain America in the MCU, but Krasinski was also in the running for Star-Lord. In the end, he didn’t get the role, but many fans are still holding out hope that another Marvel gig, Mr. Fantastic in The Fantastic Four, awaits Krasinski in the future. A few other names that were put on the short-list for Star-Lord were Joel Edgerton (It Comes at Night) and Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything), both of whom went through screen-testing. Surprisingly enough, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star, Glenn Howerton, became the runner-up for playing Star-Lord. The actor threw his hat in the ring a bit late in the game, but Gunn had been outspoken about the fact that if Pratt wasn’t cast, he would have wanted Howerton.

Star-Lord was one of the most difficult characters to cast in the MCU according to those involved. When Pratt’s name came up as a suitable choice, the actor wasn’t even interested in the role, nor did he agree to an audition. It took a lot of convincing to get Pratt in the room, but once he did, Gunn knew in less than a minute that he was born to play the part of Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy. Pratt was cast and has portrayed the role in four Marvel Cinematic Universe installments thus far, and he will next be seen in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is currently in development.

About The Author

Kara Hedash
(1745 Articles Published)

Kara Hedash is a features editor and writer for Screen Rant. From time to time, she dives into the world’s most popular franchises but Kara primarily focuses on evergreen topics. The fact that she gets to write about The Office regularly is like a dream come true. Before joining Screen Rant, Kara served as a contributor for Movie Pilot and had work published on The Mary Sue and Reel Honey. After graduating college, writing began as a part-time hobby for Kara but it quickly turned into a career. She loves binging a new series and watching movies ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to hidden indie gems. She also has a soft spot for horror ever since she started watching it at too young of an age. Her favorite Avenger is Thor and her favorite Disney princess is Leia Organa. When Kara’s not busy writing, you can find her doing yoga or hanging out with Gritty.

More From Kara Hedash