MCU Guardians of the Galaxy franchise director James Gunn reveals who is the only actor from his original pitch for the movie that got the part.

SUMMARY

•  Director James Gunn originally wanted Zoe Saldaña to play Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy, and she was the only actor from his original pitch that made it into the movie.
•  Saldaña’s experience playing Neytiri in Avatar helped her bring depth and fierceness to her role as Gamora, making her a perfect fit for the character.
•  Saldaña’s onscreen chemistry with Chris Pratt and her versatility in playing two different versions of Gamora solidify her casting as one of the best in the MCU.

Director James Gunn has revealed which Guardians of the Galaxy actor he originally wanted to cast that successfully made their way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s ending put a final point to the journey of the cosmic team that debuted in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, as the original Guardians of the Galaxy disbanded and Rocket will now lead a new iteration of the team. Every actor in Guardians of the Galaxy brought something special to the MCU, but there is one that Gunn wanted from the start.

Marvel Studios’ Assembled: The Making of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 documentary sees Gunn reveal that the only Guardians of the Galaxy actor that was in his original pitch for the movie was Zoe Saldaña as Gamora. According to Gunn, he pitched Guardians of the Galaxy to Marvel with the help of a little book that he had prepared with visual references and his casting choices. Gunn has revealed the fate of his casting choices, saying, “none of those actors who were in that book ended up playing the characters, except for Zoe Saldaña, who I met and loved from the beginning.” Check out the full quote below:

“When I first went to Marvel and I pitched ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ I brought a little book. I had worked very hard trying to put this little book together of all the little pictures and photo references, and all that stuff. And in that book, there were all the characters listed and who I thought should play those characters.

And of course, none of those actors who were in that book ended up playing the characters, except for Zoe Saldaña, who I met and loved from the beginning.”

Zoe Saldaña Was Perfect For Guardians Of The Galaxy’s Gamora

Saldaña being the only one of Gunn’s casting choices to make it into one of the best MCU movies is very interesting. However, it is easy to understand why the director wanted Saldaña to play Gamora from the get-go. Before appearing in Guardians of the Galaxy, Saldaña had already played the female lead in the highest-grossing movie of all time, 2009’s Avatar.

Her experience playing Neytiri in Avatar was deeply valuable for her role as Gamora. Neytiri is one of the fiercest warriors of the Na’vi, also serving as the spiritual leader of her clan. That helped Saldaña play Gamora, as the Guardians of the Galaxy member is not only the team’s most s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed hand-to-hand fighter — Drax being the strongest — but she also serves the role of the team’s conscience throughout her time in the MCU.

A lot of the first Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as the franchise as a whole, was informed by the relationship between Gamora and Star-Lord. Saldaña’s electrifying onscreen chemistry with Chris Pratt is hard to recreate, making her casting as Gamora very important for the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. The actress’ versatility was also one of the qualities that made her MCU casting perfect, as Saldaña effortlessly played two different versions of Gamora. In the end, Saldaña’s casting in Guardians of the Galaxy sits among the MCU’s best.