James Gunn shoots down a huge casting rumor

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, some debates will probably rage forever. Was was right, Captain America or Iron Man? Did Thanos really have any good ideas? But perhaps the most contentious debate of all is simple: what’s wrong with Chris Pratt?

We won’t go into too much detail, but the tl; dr is that Pratt’s alleged association with a certain Christian mega-church has drawn criticism due to the alleged LGBTQ+ policies. In response, some Marvel fans have criticized the studio for giving Pratt the lead role in one of its biggest franchises, while other fans (and many of his MCU colleagues) have often come to his defense. in the past.

This debate resurfaced after Pratt’s MCU character Star-Lord (and the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy) appeared in the trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder. But this time, an unexpected celebrity came to Star-Lord’s defense. Nothing else than Guardians director James Gunn.

On April 23, a relatively small Twitter account with just over a thousand followers tweeted a pair of photos showing Chris Pratt alongside Patrick Wilson and asking Marvel to recast Star-Lord (to be fair, the two actors look a lot alike). In response, James Gunn (1.2 million Twitter followers) wrote the following:

Why? Because of your made-up and totally false beliefs about him? For something someone else told you about him that isn’t true? Chris Pratt would never be replaced as Star-Lord but, if he ever was, we would all go with him.

He is not. I know the church he currently attends. Do you? (The answer is no, but you heard from someone who heard from someone who heard from someone where they go to church, so you decided, “Yeah, okay, I’m going to believe this terrible thing I heard online about this celebrity!”

Does any of this matter? Probably not. Will fans and critics continue to question Pratt’s personal beliefs? Yes. Will Pratt continue to be cast in high-paying roles? Yes too.

But if there was any doubt about who plays Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy 3 (not that there ever really was, if we’re being honest) you can end this debate. Pratt and the rest of the cast will return for one more round. After that, the future is unclear, though all signs suggest the next film will be the end of this particular franchise – and many of its characters as well.

guardians of the galaxy flight. 3 premieres on May 5, 2023.