From Marvel villain to DC hero, had things panned out differently, Jason Momoa’s career trajectory would’ve been pretty damn extraordinary – even more so than it already is.
Because before he picked up that famous trident and became Aquaman for Warner Bros. Pictures, the Game of Thrones breakout auditioned to play a bad guy opposite James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
He didn’t get the role, of course, but he made it far enough in the audition process to perform in front of Star-Lord himself, Chris Pratt, whom Momoa describes as a “legend and a gentleman.” But as the actor tells Entertainment Weekly, Guardians of the Galaxy wasn’t the only MCU project that he put himself forward for, as the towering DC star also met with the Russo Brothers (Avengers: Infinity War) to discuss a potential role that may or may not have been related to a certain Winter Soldier…
I met the Russo brothers [who directed Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War and Infinity War], who are amazing. It was one of the best meetings I’ve ever had. I was going to do something with them, which unfortunately didn’t work out.
Alas, nothing materialized from those negotiations, which is something that can also be said about Jason Momoa’s attempts to land a bad guy role in Guardians of the Galaxy – even if he isn’t quite sure which part he was auditioning for. Such is the Marvel Studios way.
I don’t know. It was going to be a villain, I think. People always want to hire me to play a villain, you know? I did an audition for Guardians of the Galaxy, which was super cool. I got to audition with [Chris Pratt], who’s just a legend and a gentleman. That didn’t work out.
The actor still got his big break, of course, thanks to the release of Justice League last year. It’ll be followed by Warner’s standalone Aquaman movie, which is expected to make a big splash this weekend.
