James Gunn On What Makes GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Different; Praises Chris Pratt

James Gunn On What Makes GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Different; Praises Chris Pratt

Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn told Shortlist that he feels Chris Pratt is able to do more than Harrison Ford (Star Wars, Indiana Jones) and discusses what makes the titular team different. Check it out...

By Abary - Apr 26, 2014 01:04 PM EST
Source: Shortlist
 
In a recent interview, James Gunn continued to praise the talented Chris Pratt, who will play Peter Quill/Star Lord in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy this August. He compares the actor to Star Wars' Harrison Ford, who played a sort of similar character to the one Pratt will play. "As much as I like Harrison Ford, Chris Pratt is able to do more than him. Honestly. He’s a true modern American hero." He goes on to talk about the amount of weight that Pratt needed to drop to play a fit character, but says that it didn't bother him that he was chubbier than the other actors who auditioned. "He lost 80lb of fat and gained 20lb of muscle for this movie," said Gunn. "I didn’t even want to audition him at first. But he was so good I thought, ‘If we have the first chubby superhero, then fine.’ He wouldn’t have been the first actor in Hollywood to have a CGI six-pack." Gunn also discussed what he thinks makes the movie different than the other major blockbuster movies this Summer. "There’s never been a movie like it. It’s fun and funny, and surprisingly dramatic – an antidote to over-inflated blockbusters. And if you don’t believe a movie with a talking raccoon can be dramatic, you need to see it." Do you think Chris Pratt is a good choice for the lead character? Sound off below, and catch Guardians of the Galaxy in theaters August 1. 
 

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits–Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Peter discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand - with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.
 
Directed by James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy will star Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon, and Vin Diesel as Groot, with Michael Rooker as Yondu, Benicio del Toro as The Collector, Karen Gillan as Nebula, and Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser. The movie will hit US theaters on August 1, 2014.
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Pasto
Pasto - 4/26/2014, 1:44 PM
"As much as I like Harrison Ford, Chris Pratt is able to do more than him. Honestly. He’s a true modern American hero."


ezio619
ezio619 - 4/26/2014, 1:46 PM
james gunn is known for being a very opinionated,blunt guy so these comments will turn people off,anyway im realllllly excited for this film,hopefully its good
ezio619
ezio619 - 4/26/2014, 1:50 PM
the second trailer description(if legit) sounds....AMAZING!!!

Shots of Star Lord in his mask, full outfit, probably from the opening we’ve seen since early on. “My name is Peter Quill” says Chris Pratt over a nice hero shot, then we cut back to Dijimon Hounsou as Korath the Pursuer and two of his soldiers pointing guns directly at the camera. “But there’s one other name you might know me by...Star Lord.”

Replay of the “Who?”/”Come on, man, Star Lord” scene you’ve already learned to love. Quill gives up, saying “Forget it,” then Korath shoots at him. Quill falls backwards, dodging the shot that explodes the back wall of the chamber they're in. Without getting up, Quill hits his rocket boots and shoots out into the wilderness, escaping.

Some quick shots of Star Lord being chased through a blue-ish, rocky planet with his mask on as Korath and his men chase him, shooting. Star Lord takes a huge space-leap and we speed ramp down until-

MARVEL LOGO!

Things speed up here and there’s lot’s of new stuff, so I’ll try to get as much as possible, but - wow, this movie looks bigger and better all the time.

Star Lord’s ship, the Milano, speeds towards a barren looking planet. We cut to the Guardians walking through some sort of space-port or bar with Zoe Saldana’s Gamorra in the lead. Peter Quill voice overs:

“So here we are: A thief” - Star Lord stands in front of a cloud outside and tosses the ORB into the air and catches it. It looks like part of the movie where the MacGuffin chase favors the Guardians.

“Two Criminals” - Rocket Racoon hefts what looks like a four-barrell rocket launcher, cocks it and aims it through the site. Groot throws a puny humanoid.

“An Assassin” - Gamora turns, looking hot and green, then we see a quick cut of her fighting who I hope to be Nebula (Karen Gillian).

“And a maniac” - Hello DRAX! Push in on David Bautista from the shoulders up, full make-up, scowling as something explodes behind him. Quick cut of Drax doing a mid-air punch on someone, cut of Drax head-butting a dude.

“But we’re not going to stand by while evil wipes out the galaxy.” Shot of Ronan the Accuser’s ship. Shot of a hooded Lee Pace as Ronin walking towards the camera. Close up shot of someone’s fist closing around a glowing red energy source. The fist suddenly CLENCHES and we cut to an exterior explosion and a crowd of aliens and humanoids running from it (from back when they shot on the Millennium bridge for all to see, it looks like).

The voiceover meets the scene the lines are from as Quill adresses everyone inside the Milano. “I guess we’re stuck together- ” We see a shot of Drax holding the Orb/Macguffin - “Partners.”

Title: THIS AUGUST

Glenn Close’s Nova Prime Rael takes the next line over a shot of a ship descending over a lush planet with a pattern of rivers and streets that looks vaguely like a compass rose. Probably the Nova Corps planet? As Close is still talking, we also see Ronan kneeling in the center of a circular stone pattern with his hammer resting on the floor beside him: “Are you telling me, the fate of 12 billion people, is in the hands of these thugs?”

We see Glenn Close looking pissed in a meeting with some uniformed Nova Corps behind her, elsewhere Ronan stands and raises his hammer high into the air, Ronan’s ship releases tons of fighters over the lush planet, people run from explosions, Ronan is attacking this populace.

An iris-styled door in a spaceship opens and the Guardians stride out, confidently. Close on Rocket as he cocks a gun that is the same size he is. We push in on his face and BRADLEY COOPER’S VOICE COMES OUT: “Oh…..yeah!” Rocket loves his big gun.

Smash cut to the shot of Rocket firing off Groot’s shoulder in the prison that we’ve already seen. A new close up of a snarling Rocket as he blasts something. Gamora, in her prison yellows, jumps and kicks a guy with both feet, landing in the “Black Widow landing pose where you flip your hair back when you look up.” Peter Quill draws both his pistols at once and fires into the camera.

Title:

ALL HEROES.

Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit In the Sky” starts to add the “Hooked on a Feeling” pace to the edit.

Quill, Gamora, Drax and Rocket - all in prison yellows, but Rocket and Quill have guns, so obviously towards the end of their escape strike a nonchalant pose as Groot JUMPS from another level and lands behind them, completing the misfit hero shot. A shot of Quill hitting someone, a shot of the Milano in colorful, magnificent fantasy space. They’re flying towards an Alien Skull the size of a PLANET.

We see the Guardians in the cockpit looking out at the planet-head and Rocket says: “Whoa,” genuinely impressed.

Title: START SOMEWHERE

Groot fights something his own size, but it doesn’t seem to matter, because Groot grabs this alien BY HIS HEAD with a single palm, picks him up, then slams his back down against the ground.

Ronan twists his hammer and it fires blue energy like Korath’s weapons in the beginning. Drax brandishes two curved blades. Another EXPLOSION - but this one is more wonderous.

Remember in John Carter when they got that cave to magically show them the universe or whatever (or the scene in Prometheus where Michael Fassbender looks at planet Earth on the 3D Map)? We get a shot like that of all the Guardians looking up at floating points of yellow light that could be a star-system map. Groot’s left hand is raised in the air and a lot of the yellow dots seem to be amassing around the end of it. It looks really cool and I have no idea what’s happening.

Chris Pratt again: “I look around, and you know what I see? Losers” Shots of the Guardians sitting around the Milano, not liking being called losers. “-But life is giving us a chance.”

Star Lord straps something that looks like a rocket to his leg and puts on his long coat in heroic motions cut to the beat of the song.

Drax asks: “To do what?”

Quill: “Something good…”

An ADORABLE shot of Groot gently giving a white flower to a girl who smiles at him. Gamora and Drax put their respective sharp weapons in their hip holsters.

“...something bad…” A topless Gamora from behind. Quill puts his shirt on.

Quill in the cockpit of the Milano: “...bit-o-both.”

Then more Rocket: “I don’t like the h----- order on that model ------ anyway.” I’m sure this will be really funny, but right now it’s very improperly mixed. The ------ parts were garbled.

Quick cut to raging Drax swinging his knife in slow motion. Cut to a badass shot where Nebula gets right up in Gamora’s face and looms over her. Cut: there’s a HUGE explosion and something is flying out of it right towards the camera. That something gets closer and it’s a little space-ship, that ship gets closer and we see Rocket piloting it, SNEERING WITH MALICE.

Quick cut time:

Cut to a shot of Ronan, with his hammer in one hand and choking Drax with the other, Beneicio Del Toro’s Collector in front of a orange background, Quill leans into Gamora for a kiss, Drax shakes both his blades above his head as we see him face a sky full of oncoming bad-guy ships. A pan around Groot. Gamora screams and reaches out for someone’s hand-----!

Music cuts out.

Close on a tape deck as a woody- finger presses play on the cassette.

Reverse to see a curious Groot, all alone in this room on the Milano. His eyes go wide as the cassette spins up. Groot leans in, curious, then “Hooked on a Feeling” suddenly starts, causing Groot to recoil in surprise. Groot looks SO CONFUSED.

Title: CHRIS PRATT

Hero shot you've seen.

Title: ZOE SALDANA

Hero shot you've seen.

DAVE BAUTISTA

Hero shot you've seen.

FEATURING VIN DIESEL AS GROOT

Shot of Groot, who suddenly grows branches on his back like some sort of wood porcupine. Then a shot of Drax looking at Groot who SAYS!!!!!!!! “I’m Groot.” Sounds great. It’s gentle and it’s hard to tell if he’s saying “I am” or “I’m” or some hybrid of both, but - you guys - this is going to work. Groot expresses emotion wonderfully.

Oh yeah, and the other great CG character…

BRADLEY COOPER AS ROCKET

Rocket in his prison yellows: ‘I’m just gettin’ started!” Cut to him walking down a corridor with the rest of the Guardians, holding a huge gun and adjusting the fabric around his crotch. There’s certainly a little bulge. Rocket is a boy Raccoon.

Wider-shot of Rocket, Quill, Gamora and Drax. walking down that same corridor and John C Reilly’s Nova Corp voiceover comes in: “They call themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy...”

Music cuts out and we’re looking at John C Reilly in formal Nova Corps dress (more like Glenn Closes’ outfit, not the outfit he’s wearing in the line-up clip). Reilly: “This might not be the best idea.”

Back to that wide corridor shot, they’re walking towards us in slow motion and Groot rounds the corner from another part of the ship and joins the team in a forceful walk as we hear AHHHHHHHHHHHH-MMMMM HOOKED ON A FEELIN’!

Cut to the title. The beautiful, yellow, angular title.

Then Rocket goes “HAAAAAAAAAA!” from the cockpit of his ship and leans forward on the throttle as he BLASTS into an air battle against Ronan against blue sky.

End trailer.

No idea when we’re gonna be seeing this new iteration, but the pairing of Peter Quill’s rock and roll with the charm of these bizarre characters just keeps looking better and better.

If the X-factors were Groot and Rocket, this trailer makes me think that Groot has been locked down as amazing and Rocket is being refined into a full Bradley Cooper character. Seriously, though, Groot is so good, guys, so good.

Now into my bunker so no one asks me how this all happened.
MrCBM56
MrCBM56 - 4/26/2014, 1:55 PM
If that description is real I'm still dissapointed in no look at Yondu
Ignition
Ignition - 4/26/2014, 1:56 PM
Okay, James. Okay.
ezio619
ezio619 - 4/26/2014, 2:00 PM
i still cant believe that Gunn putting Knowhere in it,its the alien skull that is the size of a planet in the description
MrCBM56
MrCBM56 - 4/26/2014, 2:02 PM
Yeah James might want to calm down comparing Pratt to Ford.
ezio619
ezio619 - 4/26/2014, 2:04 PM
mrcbm-i see where he is going with that comparison but yeah he should calm down but again,gunn is known to be a very and i mean VERY passionate,blunt and opinionated guy
ezio619
ezio619 - 4/26/2014, 2:05 PM
judging by that description, rocket sounds perfect in terms of attitude but looks like Groot may be the one that steals the show
ezio619
ezio619 - 4/26/2014, 2:09 PM
i hope every character in the film has their own theme music, that would be cool
Scarilian
Scarilian - 4/26/2014, 2:10 PM
@Pasto
He probably means in terms of age... Chris Pratt is able to do more than him because well... he's old at this point and that showed in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull... and that was 6 years ago.

Look;

Harrison Ford;


Chris Pratt;


The dude looks like a younger Harrison Ford... hence the casting. They would have probably got Harrison Ford if this movie was made sooner...
SuperCat
SuperCat - 4/26/2014, 2:13 PM
Judging from the trailer, I get a Han Solo vibe from Pratt as Quills. Good comparison.
DaVinci31
DaVinci31 - 4/26/2014, 2:17 PM
I'm bought on this film already, not gonna spoil it by watching any more trailers/clips.
Reasonnnn
Reasonnnn - 4/26/2014, 2:19 PM
Chris Pratt = HAN SOLO

i wouldn't be disappointed, but I guess he's the closest?
ezio619
ezio619 - 4/26/2014, 2:19 PM
im just loving the look of this world,its colorful and bright but feels gritty, very 50s /60s pulp scifi and it looks great
MrBatmor
MrBatmor - 4/26/2014, 2:20 PM
For me he will always be Andy dywer!!!

BURT MACKLIN FBI!!
SuperiorMrGod
SuperiorMrGod - 4/26/2014, 2:21 PM
GTF over it. You all haven't seen Chris's performance. For all we know he could be as good as Robert Downey Jr or Ford.
SuperiorMrGod
SuperiorMrGod - 4/26/2014, 2:24 PM
@Scarilian

Harrison Ford is in his 70s. Unless they planned on making the movie in the 80s Ford wasn't even on the bucket list.
Mercwitham0uth
Mercwitham0uth - 4/26/2014, 2:24 PM
GIVE US THE SECOND TRAILER ALREADY!!!!
Pedrito
Pedrito - 4/26/2014, 2:26 PM
Man, some biotches just came out to moan.
Get over it, shitheads. fffff i'm drunk
ezio619
ezio619 - 4/26/2014, 2:29 PM
the new trailer is most likely coming with DOFP
ezio619
ezio619 - 4/26/2014, 2:35 PM
ATUMBEM-good, got that out of your system ,now.....GTFO!!!,this movie can be bad but thats with every movie, every movie can be good or bad,alot of people are excited to see it, not every fricking movie, not every fricking SUPERHERO movie has to be "dark " and gritty",that doesnt fit with every character, the tone of this film is VERY akin to the 2008 run that people LOVE,if people are worried thatiit is gonna be batman and robin campy, people, first of all, they were more problems with batman and robin then the tone, way worse problems ,so shut the hell up about that before seeing the film, and it flopping, it may flop too, this movie is the wildcard of the year but if u want a superhero film to flop, you are not a true superhero fan!!!
Scarilian
Scarilian - 4/26/2014, 2:36 PM
@SuperiorMrGod

I meant in terms of what they were looking for they were searching for someone in a similar sort of 'action hero adventurer' sort of deal. Hence why we get a 'Raiders Of The Lost Ark' inspired item stealing discovery and scene.

This is Marvel attempting Indiana Jones in space... we have a mystical relic, a focus seemingly on comedy despite violence, a bunch of space Nazi's, etc... Not that that's a bad thing - but its what they are going with.
Nappa
Nappa - 4/26/2014, 2:37 PM
remembertheking
remembertheking - 4/26/2014, 2:39 PM
Chris Pratt is indeed great and I think he will be better at acting than Harrison Ford. However, it still remains to be seen whether Pratt can become the iconic actor that Harrison Ford is.
Scarilian
Scarilian - 4/26/2014, 2:40 PM
@AlexanderLykins

Looking at the box office totals from Thor, Iron Man and Captain America - if this film were to gross $400m+ then it would be an acceptable first film in a marvel film series.

Looking at its viability for sequels via looking at Thor 2, Iron Man 2 and Captain America 2... If it earns $600m+ then a sequel will likely occur during Phase 4.
Nappa
Nappa - 4/26/2014, 2:40 PM
ezio619
ezio619 - 4/26/2014, 2:41 PM
i need a new trailer now,im going crazy here!!!
Nappa
Nappa - 4/26/2014, 2:42 PM
Nappa
Nappa - 4/26/2014, 2:43 PM
TucksFrom2015
TucksFrom2015 - 4/26/2014, 2:45 PM
Jack Huston was 2nd runner-up to play Star-Lord, if Chris Pratt hadn't shown up Huston would've been their only option. what's cool now is Jack Huston is playing Doctor Doom in Josh Trank's Fantastic Four! Go figure!
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