It’s safe to say that we can’t possibly imagine any other actors depicting the Guardians of the Galaxy characters as amazingly as the star cast we already have. But just as any other movie franchise, in and the MCU and beyond, James Gunn and his team had to go through a long development process, during which one of the most important aspects was finding the perfect actors for the roles.
Many would argue that with Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel took D-list heroes and turned them into household names that will eventually outlive the MCU legacy in its entirety. Part of that is due to Gunn’s vision, while the other part is largely because of the actors who were ultimately chosen to play our beloved Guardians. Nevertheless, it’s fun to play “what if?” Let’s look at a list of actors that were almost cast in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.
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11 Jason Momoa as Drax
Warner Bros. Pictures
The first to turn down a Guardians of the Galaxy role in our list is Jason Momoa, who later joined the DCEU instead as Aquaman. Momoa was originally supposed to portray Drax the Destroyer up until the last minute, when he suddenly backed out and changed his mind. Although he received quite the criticism for turning down such a big franchise, he had a very valid reason for it (via IGN): “It didn’t really fit in my time because I’ve done so many things where I don’t say much, and I’m colored up, and I have my shirt off again.” Well, the role turned out to be a perfect fit for Dave Bautista.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
10 Amanda Seyfried as Gamora
20th Television
Amanda Seyfried had a different worry that stopped her from accepting a role in Guardians of the Galaxy. In 2013, she was offered the role of Gamora, which would later be played by the talented Zoe Saldana. Seyfried’s initial reason for turning down the role was not wanting to be green and having to spend hours in a make-up chair. It was later revealed that she had doubts about the movie as a whole: “I didn’t want to be part of the first Marvel movie that bombed. Who wants to see a movie about a talking tree and a raccoon? Which is clearly – I was very wrong.” The actress went on to explain that when you’re the star of a giant movie, and it doesn’t do well, Hollywood doesn’t forgive you.
9 Glenn Howerton as Star-Lord
FX
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Glenn Howerton was Gunn’s second choice to play the character of Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy, which he revealed in an Instagram Q&A. The Instagram story was later posted by Howerton with the caption: “It still hurts.” The actor also revealed that he passed Pratt on his way to audition and immediately thought him to be the perfect fit for the role. He also admitted that being a star of a major franchise was a terrifying concept for him (via NME).
8 Jim Sturgess as Star-Lord
Film 4 Productions
Even One Day actor Jim Sturgess was nearly cast in the role of Star-Lord. In the audition process, he got as far as partaking in the costume fitting for the superhero, which the actor thought was pretty tight on his body. “I got way further than I’d ever imagined I possibly could. As you get further and further down the line, you start caring about it more and more. The competitiveness in you starts kicking in. But I was amazed I’d gotten as far down the line as I did.” We do wonder whether Sturgess would be able to bring the same comedy to the role as Pratt.
7 David Bowie as a Member of Yondu’s Crew
Warner-Columbia Filmverleih
Did you know that Marvel intended to have a small David Bowie cameo in the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel before the singer’s death? As it turned out, Kevin Feige himself pitched the idea and had Gunn approach Bowie with the suggestion back in 2016. In a Q&A, the director disclosed the nature of the cameo: “It would have been as one of the Ravagers, along with Michelle Yeoh and Ving Rhames and Sylvester Stallone and Michael Rosenbaum. But, unfortunately, David Bowie passed away.”
6 Matthew McConaughey as Ego
Columbia Pictures
Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey was another big name that passed on the opportunity to join the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel. The actor was wanted as Star Lord’s father, Ego, but it eventually landed in the hands of Kurt Russell. The actor’s choice eventually came down to starring in Guardians of the Galaxy or Stephen King’s Dark Tower. McConaughey explained his final choice this way: “I like Guardians of the Galaxy, but what I saw was ‘It’s successful, and now we’ve got room to make a colorful part for another big-name actor.’ I’d feel like an amendment.” Makes sense, right?
5 John Krasinski as Star-Lord
Marvel Studios
It’s very well-known that John Krasinski has overall auditioned for quite a few Marvel roles, including Captain America and Star-Lord. Well, none of them worked out in his favor. The actor was one of the first publicly reported to be running for the role of Guardians of the Galaxy protagonist. There wasn’t much said about his auditioning process and what made him not the right fit. It was only reported that Gunn decided to go a different direction. Krasinski would later appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as Mister Fantastic.
4 Olivia Wilde as Gamora
Warner Bros.
Olivia Wilde is now known more as a director than an actress, for her high school comedy Booksmart and the controversial Don’t Worry Darling. But, before the Guardians of the Galaxy producers approached Saldana with the offer to portray Gamora, they made a quick stop at Wilde’s doorstep as well. Apparently, Wilde turned it down because it clashed with her schedule for Better Living Through Chemistry.
3 Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Star-Lord
At one point, Joseph Gordon-Levitt was the only front-runner for the role of Star-Lord in the franchise. He slowly got joined by other actors trying out for the role. Gordon-Levitt was already known for turning down the role in Godzilla back then, and it wasn’t soon after when he added Guardians of the Galaxy to the “passed-on” list. The reason? He saw a chance to step into Robert Rodriguez’s noir Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, which was first offered to Johnny Depp.
2 Isaiah Mustafa as Drax
RLJ Entertainment
It took a while until we got any casting information on the side characters in the Guardians franchise. Everyone had a pretty good idea of the front-runners for the role of Star-Lord, but other than that, it was kept pretty quiet. At some point, it was revealed that Marvel was looking at Isaiah Mustafa and Dave Bautista as possible candidates for the role of Drax the Destroyer. Well, we know who eventually landed the role.
