After Guardians 3, Chris Pratt Gets Real About His Marvel Future

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a giant franchise, one that spans both movies and TV shows that are streaming with a Disney+ subscription. While those of us who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order now that there have ben some recent box office struggles, other titles like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 made money. And after that threequel's contents, Chris Pratt recently got real about his Marvel future.

The ending of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 gave the titular team their happy ending, and it's unclear if we'll see them return in an upcoming Marvel movie. But title cards said that Star-Lord would be back, and fans are eager for more information. While speaking with IGN about his movie Garfield, Pratt shared his thoughts about the MCU, offering:

It's hard to imagine what that would look like, so I guess I'd just have to take it on a case-by-case basis. Of course I'd be open to it. I love the character. It changed my life. If it came along and it made sense and I felt like it was a story worth telling, then I'd certainly, certainly be open to it. I love playing Star-Lord.

There you have it. Despite what Guardians 3's ending said, Pratt doesn't make it seem like his return as Star-Lord is a sure thing. He's seemingly going to need the right project to bring him back into the shared universe. Now what exactly could that be?

Peter Quill is one of Chris Pratt's best roles, and he played the character with charisma and heart throughout three movies, the Guardians Holiday Special, Thor 4, and two Avengers movies. So it's understandable that fans are so passionate about seeing him back in the MCU.

There seems to be a big question surrounding Chris Pratt's possible return as Star-Lord: will James Gunn be involved? The Guardians filmmaker is busy as the co-CEO of the DCU, as well as directing the new Superman movie. In the same interview, the Parks & Rec icon spoke about this aspect of the decision, with:

But it'd be tough to do without James. And you'd have to find an apparatus by which to maintain the tone that he so expertly creates, and it's kind of hard because he's truly one of a kind. And it would have to be with his blessing, so we'll see.

I'd assume that this would be the case for most of the cast of the Guardians franchise. They're an extremely close bunch, with the cast even signing a letter of solidarity with Gunn when he was briefly fired. And I'd assume it would be hard to picture a Marvel return for most of them without James Gunn at the helm.

There are countless questions about the future of the MCU, especially following shakeups like The Marvels' box office performance and Jonathan Majors' firing as Kang. So perhaps bringing back Pratt and other Guardians of the Galaxy actors might be a good plan of action.

The Garfield Movie hits theaters May 24th and the MCU will return with Deadpool & Wolverine on July 26th. For now, check out the 2024 movie release dates.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more. 

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