James Gunn defends Chris Pratt amid calls to recast him in Guardians of the Galaxy

‘Chris Pratt would never be replaced as Star-Lord but, if he ever was, we would all be going with him,’ director insists

Guardians Of The Galaxy director James Gunn has defended the film’s star Chris Pratt amid calls for his removal from the franchise.

The Star-Lord actor is facing renewed scrutiny after appearing in the trailer for the new Thor movie, Love and Thunder.

Fan discontent with the actor stems from his involvement in an evangelical Christian church, which was accused in 2019 of being “anti-gay” by Elliot Page.

Pratt denied this claim, along with unsubstantiated rumours that he was a Trump supporter.

On Monday (25 April), Gunn hit back at a side-by-side photo of Pratt and actor Patrick Wilson tweeted by a fan with the caption: “Marvel. Hear me out. Just… replace him.”

Gunn responded: “For what? Because of your made-up, utterly-false beliefs about him? For something that someone else told you about him that’s not true? Chris Pratt would never be replaced as Star-Lord but, if he ever was, we would all be going with him.”

Another person asked the director if he was “cool with him being part of a homophobic church,” to which Gunn replied: “He isn’t.

“I know the church he currently goes to. Do you? (The answer is you don’t, but you heard from someone who heard from someone who heard from someone where he goes to church, so decided, ‘yeah, okay, I’ll believe this terrible thing I heard online about this celebrity!’)”

The Independent has contacted representatives for Pratt for comment.

This is not the first time one of Pratt’s Hollywood colleagues has leapt to his defence. In October 2020, various Avengers stars stepped in after the internet voted him “the worst Hollywood Chris”.

Robert Downey Jr, who played Iron Man in the blockbuster films, wrote on Instagram: “What a world... The ‘sinless’ are casting stones at my brother, Chris Pratt... A real Christian who lives by principle, has never demonstrated anything but positivity and gratitude.”

Referring to Pratt’s marriage with Katherine Schwarzenegger, daughter of Arnold, Downey Jr added: “AND he just married in to a family that makes space for civil discourse and (just plain fact) INSISTS on service as the highest value.”

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 is scheduled to be released on May 5, 2023.