Director James Gunn has revealed that It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia actor Glenn Howerton was almost cast as Peter Quill/Star-Lord in Guardians Of The Galaxy.
Howerton, who is also known for his roles in the TV shows A.P. Bio, Fargo and The Mindy Project, was second in line for the leading role in the Marvel film which eventually went to Chris Pratt.
Gunn revealed the news during a Q&A on his Instagram Stories. When asked about who else had auditioned for the role, he replied: “I would never share who auditioned & didn’t get the role unless they shared it first – many people know @glennhowerton auditioned & was my 2nd choice for the role.”
Howerton shared Gunn’s answer on his own Instagram Stories, adding that “it still hurts”.
Everybody knows when you are the second choice of something, you usually end up the FANTASTIC first choice in another role inside the MCU 👀 pic.twitter.com/60tLnyQKBs
— BossLogic (@Bosslogic) February 23, 2021
Other actors who are reported to have tested for the role of Star-Lord include Zachary Levi, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eddie Redmayne, Joel Edgerton, Jim Sturgess, Jack Huston and Lee Pace – who was cast as Ronan the Accuser.
Howerton recently told The Guardian that he passed Chris Pratt on the way to audition. “I remember thinking: ‘Oh shit, that guy’s perfect for this.’”
Speaking about big franchises, he added: “I think it’d be super fun, but it’s also terrifying to me, because the level of celebrity that then gets foisted upon you when you do a movie like that is something that scares the shit out of me.”
Meanwhile, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia has been renewed for four more seasons through to season 18.
The news will see the series break its own record and become the longest-running live-action comedy of all time. The show was renewed for season 15 last year, with that news breaking the record previously held by The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriet which ran for 14 seasons.
