Do We Want Chris Pratt in the DCU?
As with many actors who appear on our screens over and over again playing the same type of character, certain audiences are tiring of Chris Pratt.
The actor recently visited the set of James Gunn’s Superman reboot to reconnect with his friend and former Marvel/Guardians of the Galaxy director, which has sparked rumors he could jump to fence to DC. But is that what fans want?
Of course, there will be varying opinions on this. Pratt is, for all intents and purposes, a well-sought-after actor who has starred in numerous box office hits, such as his role as Star-Lord in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, voicing Mario in the animated smash hit The Super Mario Bros. Movie, running with dinosaurs in the Jurassic World franchise, and now voicing Garfield in The Garfield Movie. Though his films have been financially very successful, audiences’ love towards Chris Pratt is not as strong as it used to be.
A declining relationship
The actor stole our hearts as the buffoonish but lovable Andy Dwyer in Parks and Recreation, where his comedic talent shone. He then surprised us all by transforming into one of Hollywood’s leading action stars, but the love for the actor started to turn a little sour, due to a number of factors. From some poor-taste social media posts to his affiliation with the Hillsong Church, audiences have started to question the actor offscreen, and onscreen, well we all remember the social media meltdown when we heard the Mario voice, don’t we?
Pratt has entered so many franchise spaces that people are simply starting to tire of seeing him do the same thing over and over again, without much variation. I’m not saying the man doesn’t have talent, his performance as Star-Lord over the last decade has been filled with emotion and depth, but the types of films he is appearing in, well, they don’t vary too much, leaving many to feel he’s a one trick pony. So do fans want him in Gunn’s new DC universe?
Do we need more action-comedy from Chris Pratt?
There will be some who will be more than happy to see Pratt team back up with Gunn once again, and Pratt is one of those people. After Gunn posted a picture of the pair on set, writing, “Always nice to have friends visiting set,” Pratt was, of course, asked about whether he would be joining the DCU. Talking to TMZ about the idea of working with Gunn again and being a DC character, he said, “I just have to leave that to the fans and people like James to decide. I’m not exactly sure. I’m truly not sure.”
When pushed to answer whether he would join if asked, he added, “Yes, of course. If it could fit into my schedule and it made sense, I would love it.”
The two did build a fantastic Marvel franchise together with Guardians of the Galaxy, so we know they work well, but do we want that? Some fans of the actor are already throwing out roles he could play, from Green Lantern to Booster Gold. Many would want him to continue in the MCU, which is likely given that Marvel does have plans for Star-Lord in the future. Other actors have also hopped the Marvel/DC fence, working on both at the same time, such as Idris Elba.
At the end of the day, Pratt is a very bankable actor, and having him in the DC Universe would likely be a boon to the franchise. There will be people who will hate the casting, and people who will rejoice. I personally don’t have the strongest reaction to it either way. Do I think there needs to be more variety in actors in Hollywood? Sure, it does get tiring to see the same people in similar roles over and over, but it’s a business too, and if producers know that this person is going to deliver and bring in the crowds, well that also makes sense.
We will just have to wait and see if Pratt does enter the DCU in the future and see what the fans say.
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