You may or may not know that James Gunn had a backup plan in mind if Chris Pratt wasn’t able to star in Guardians of the Galaxy. While the Parks and Recreation favorite was obviously champing at the bit to play Star-Lord in the Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster, NBC held the actor under a first-position contract and were under no obligation to let him go.
Of course, the creative team weren’t going to actively sabotage the biggest opportunity of Pratt’s career, so a compromise was reached. Not only did the network give the green light for their Andy Dwyer to board the comic book franchise, but the first two episodes of Season 6 were set and shot in London to accommodate his Guardians shooting schedule.
If the Pratt deal were to fall through, Gunn admitted that It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s Glenn Howerton was his second choice for Peter Quill, which would have resulted in a very different spin on the character. In a new interview, the longtime Dennis Reynolds joked that the only reason he goes to the gym is in case he gets that call one day.
“Listen, why else am I going to the gym? I guess that’s my question. That’s a question that I ask myself every time I go. Why am I doing it? What am I doing? There’s not a single character that I’ve ever played that calls for this. You know what I mean? I guess I’m doing it because I’m trying to be healthy. But let’s be honest, why am I really doing it? The reason I’m really doing it is in case I have to do something where I take my shirt off.
I would love to do a Marvel character, because it would justify all the years in the gym. If for no other reason than to just be like, ‘Yes, look, I’ve done it’. I want to be able to take my shirt off and just be covered in oil or grease or whatever the hell they put on themselves to have it all down-lit where all the shadows are there. Man, who wouldn’t want that?”
In the same interview, A.P. Bio co-star and all-round comic book encyclopaedia Patton Oswalt says that Howerton would make for an excellent Guy Gardner, famed member of the Green Lantern Corps. Unfortunately, HBO Max have that base covered after casting American Horror Story alum Finn Wittrock for the hotly-anticipated streaming series, so Howerton will have to continue biding his time for a little while longer.
