After a long search for the lead in its next big superhero franchise, Marvel has, like so many others, finally realized that Chris Pratt is the best. The Parks And Recreation star has landed the role of Peter Quill—or Star-Lord, as he’s known to the President…’s enemies—in Guardians Of The Galaxy, the leader of the interplanetary police squad who commands by virtue of his unparalleled abilities in strategy and combat, and also his not being a talking tree or raccoon. In a parallel to the recent search for Captain America’s female lead, Deadline originally reported that Marvel was considering a shortlist of actors that included Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Pratt’s Zero Dark Thirty co-star Joel Edgerton, Boardwalk Empire’s Jack Huston, Cloud Atlas’ Jim Sturgess, Les Miserables’ Eddie Redmayne, Chuck’s Zachary Levi, and Pushing Daisies’ Lee Pace, then named a guy who was nowhere on that list. It seems that, ultimately, Pratt’s combination of macho charisma and comedic timing won out, as did his ability to make big jerks completely lovable, now on a more universal scale.
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