James Gunn recently reflected on his reticence to cast Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, in Guardians of the Galaxy. I was fully aware of the fact that, at the time, he was considered a bit of a risk. It was an additional tidbit of info about some actors that almost got the role instead that I was surprised by. Specifically, the mention of Glenn Howerton, best known as Dennis on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, as someone who auditioned for the role.
Of course, in the same breath, Gunn talks about how there were hundreds of auditions. Just because Howerton auditioned doesn’t mean he ever really had a snowball’s chance in hell of helming a Marvel property.
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So I looked to see if Gunn or Howerton had mentioned their meeting before, or if Howerton really was just a name on a long sheet of tryouts. Lo and behold, it seems that Howerton was very much the opposite of a forgettable audition. He was, in Gunn’s own words, his second choice behind, obviously, Pratt. First, Howerton mentioned the audition on Kelly Clarkson’s show three years ago, to an understandably confused audience that definitely had not expected to hear the name “Star-Lord” that day.
At this point, Howerton also doesn’t seem to be sure exactly how close he was. All he’d say was that he, like Clarkson, who apparently has her finger on the pulse, Marvel casting-wise, had heard it was between him and Chris Pratt. An Instagram Story Q&A session from Gunn himself, though, confirmed that Howerton was, outright, his second choice for the role.
That said, it’s hard to argue that Pratt wasn’t the correct choice, and he’s certainly verified the confidence by his ensuing career in any number of hits. Which really, leaves me with just the question of why Gunn never went back to this specific well while casting the many follow-ups and other properties he’s in charge of — especially when it comes to a need for a sly, but still likable villain. A scan of IMDb doesn’t show the two ever crossing paths again, outside of shared late-night appearances.
The original collaboration may never have come to fruition, but I think we still deserve a taste. Gunn’s now the head honcho over at DC, and hey, if you’re reading this? Give Howerton a call. The person who was supposed to be the Flash blew that up, so maybe Dennis can slot in. Or, even more fun in my eyes, find him a nice bad guy.
Either way, I want to see the Golden God himself somewhere in DC’s pantheon.
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