Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn says Chris Pratt will "never" be replaced as Star-Lord

Chris Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 — (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

James Gunn has come out in support of Chris Pratt, shutting down any and all rumors of the actor being replaced as Peter Quill aka Star-Lord in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

A viral tweet shows a side-by-side photo comparison of Chris Pratt and Patrick Wilson along with the caption, "Marvel. Hear me out. Just...replace him." The tweet amassed nearly 200,000 likes, with many calling for Pratt to be replaced.

Gunn replied directly to the tweet in defense of Pratt, asking, "For what? 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," Gunn continued. "If he ever was, we would all be going with him."

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.April 25, 2022

One Twitter user replied to Gunn, asking if the director was "cool with him being part of a homophobic church," adding, "or does that not matter because he's making you money?"

Gunn immediately defended Pratt, firing back, "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!')"

Pratt has been affiliated with Zoe Church, an off-shoot of Hillsong Church – a megachurch that, up until 2011, referred its LGBTQIA+ members to conversion therapy. Elliot Page called out Pratt's affiliation back in 2019, tweeting, "If you are a famous actor and you belong to an organization that hates a certain group of people, don’t be surprised if someone simply wonders why it’s not addressed."

The actor responded to Page, stating that Zoe Church accepts all types of people and that there is "no place for hate in my or this world."

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is currently in production, with a release date slated for a May 5, 2022 release.

For more, check out our list of upcoming superhero movies in 2022 and beyond.

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ based in New York City. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.