The MCU has been one of the most successful and commercially successful film franchises that has ever been created. The franchise started its massive universe back in 2008 with Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and they went on to create one of the most beautifully intertwined tales of superheroes saving the day. From Iron Man to The Avengers, the MCU is full of fan-favorite franchises. However, there’s one franchise that stands out from the rest of them, and it is none other than James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
James Gunn’s Guardian of the Galaxy remains the most entertaining superhero franchise in the MCU, as it is goofy, full of action, and wholesome moments. The cast of the film was perfect and to think that someone else could have played the role, just feels so wrong to even ponder upon. However, that would have been the case if Amanda Seyfried and Jason Momoa had accepted their roles.
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Amanda Seyfried and Jason Momoa Refused To Be a Part of MCU’s Most Entertaining Franchise
James Gunn has left an indelible legacy in the MCU with his Guardians of the Galaxy franchise which has featured one of the most iconic cast members ever featured in a film. The film featured Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, Dave Bautista as Drax, Zoe Saldaña as Gamora, Vin Diesel as Groot, and Bradley Cooper voicing Rocket Raccoon. However, the cast would have looked immensely different, had Amanda Seyfried accepted the role of Gamora in the franchise.
There’s no doubt that Seyfried is one of the most talented actresses in the film industry, and she has worked in every genre to cement her legacy, but she has never been part of a superhero film. The opportunity came knocking at her door when she was offered the role of Gamora, but she turned it down because she thought it would be a massive flop. Making an appearance in the Awards Chatter Podcast, she talked about this incident and how wrong she was in her decision of not joining the MCU.
“I didn’t want to be part of the first Marvel movie that bombed. I said ‘Who wants to see a movie about a talking tree and a raccoon?’ Which is clearly — I was very wrong.”
Another instance was with Jason Momoa who turned down the role of Drax the Destroyer, who later played the role of Aquaman in the DCEU. During an interview with Zap2it via IGN, Momoa stated that the role of Drax the Destroyer wasn’t for him because he didn’t want to be called the “brute” of the MCU, and it just felt repetitive for him. Adding that the role has been perfectly cast.
“I think it’s perfectly cast. Dave [Bautista] is perfect for that role, for Drax. 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. I made a conscious choice to turn down some movies that were action-based to direct ‘Road to Paloma’ so people could see that side.”
The actor added that he had previously played the role of Ronon, who didn’t talk much either and mostly grunted and stated “I want my children to see their father happy. It’s not that it’s not a good role, it just wasn’t the right thing.” However, Seyfried and Momoa aren’t the only ones turning down the roles in MCU’s GOTG, here are 5 stars who turned down the roles in the franchise.
6 Actors Who Rejected Roles in GOTG
6) Zachary Levi as Star-Lord
Before Zachary Levi chose the role of Shazam in DCEU, he was immensely close to playing the role of Star-Lord in Gunn’s Guardian of the Galaxy in MCU. The actor even went for screen testing as the character. However, he did not fit the character, and this audition helped him become Shazam as Gunn recommended the actor to Peter Safran and the rest we know is history. Nevertheless, Levi would have been an interesting choice to play the role of Star-Lord.
5) Matthew McConaughey as Ego
Another big name, who decided to turn down an opportunity to be part of MCU’s most entertaining franchise is Matthew McConaughey. He was meant to play the role of Ego, Star-Lord’s father in the film’s sequel, but he decided to reject it, which ultimately went to Kurt Russell. The actor explained his decision during an interview with Playboy magazine via Collider, “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.” Hence, he decided to turn down the opportunity to be a part of MCU.
4) John Krasinski as Star-Lord
Another big name that failed to be a part of MCU’s GOTG was John Krasinski. Though he was a perfect fit for the role, the actor’s antics of publicly acknowledging that he was auditioning for the role, made him the biggest reason to be excluded by Marvel, as they prefer doing their work in secret and then sending shockwaves around the internet with their announcement.
3) Isaiah Mustafa as Drax the Destroyer
Drax the Destroyer is one of the most interesting characters of the franchise, though he isn’t immensely popular like Rocket Racoon or Star-Lord, and even a lot of actors were intrigued to play Star-Lord. However, there was a point where, Gunn was looking at Isaiah Mustafa and Dave Bautista for the role of Drax the Destroyer, where the latter landed the role in MCU.
2) Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Star-Lord
Joseph Gordon-Levitt was at one point the only actor who was all set to portray the role of Peter Quill/ Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy. However, he was not interested in being the part of MCU, as he saw a massive opportunity of working in Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, the motivating factor for him was that his role was first offered to Johnny Depp. Surely the actor would regret turning down an opportunity to be part of the franchise which has done extremely well in each of the sequels.
1) Gal Gadot as Nebula
Lastly, Gal Gadot was offered the role of Nebula in the Gunn’s superhero film. However, the actress did not specifically state that Marvel had offered her the role of Nebula. During a 2013 interview with Reshet.tv via comicbookmovie.com, she indirectly stated that Marvel offered her the role of Nebula, “I have the option now for a role where I will have to shave my head and they will color me in blue paint. I swear to you.” While the description was clear, it was never mentioned why she turned down the role.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 can be streamed on Disney+.
