Marvel Studios may be struggling a bit right now, but there’s one aspect of the studio that has never been in question– the casting. Besides obvious standouts like Robert Downey, Jr. and Chris Evans, there are just so many instances where Marvel Studios chose actors who would go on to define exactly who the character is. Take Chris Pratt, for example. His version of Star-Lord is often pitch perfect, and it really set the tone for the entire “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise. But Pratt wasn’t the only person up for the role. And if Marvel zigged instead of zagged, we could have been given a completely different take on the character.
In an upcoming episode of The Playlist’s “Bingeworthy” podcast, Joel Edgerton, along with his “Dark Matter” co-star Jennifer Connelly talk about their experiences with Marvel Studios. Connelly voiced the AI inside of Peter Parker’s suit in “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” (She’s also married to ‘Avengers’ alum Paul Bettany.) But it’s Edgerton who has a bit of a unique story. He actually auditioned for the role of Star-Lord in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” but he seems to think he blew it.
“Star-Lord’s a good one, actually, because I, unlike Chris [Pratt], didn’t quite sort of understand the tone of it the way he did and the way that those guys did,” said Edgerton. “And I wasn’t really sure how I could be a part of that tone. And I truly think that the world is a much better place that I’m not Star-Lord, even if I had the opportunity or I did a good enough audition because it is the way it’s meant to be. And there was never a real conversation that it would have definitely been me. It was just, I had the opportunity to try and audition. I just didn’t quite understand it.”
You definitely can’t really imagine Edgerton doing the sad sack comedic tone of Star-Lord. It would have been a very different film experience with that casting. And he’s probably right– Pratt was the best person for the role.
As for Connelly, we haven’t seen her show up in a ‘Spider-Man’ film in a while. Is she game to show up again in the MCU?
“I would absolutely work with them,” said Connelly. “I think that they make great films and my husband has had such a fantastic time working with all of them and they have such a great group of actors working with them. I would absolutely do it. “
You can see both Edgerton and Connelly star in the sci-fi drama, “Dark Matter,” when it debuts on Apple TV+ on May 8. And you can hear the full “Bingeworthy” interview soon on The Playlist.
-Additional reporting by Mike DeAngelo