The Guardians of the Galaxy is no doubt one of Marvel Studios’ most successful IPs, and each character in the roster is so beloved and nobody would have ever exected that a talking racoon would make them feel things.
Though Zoe Saldana essentially owns the role of Gamora, the part was actually offered first to Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia), but she turned the role down because she said she ‘didn’t want to be in Marvel’s first bomb.’
In a recent interview with Happy Sad Confused, Seyfried admitted that she passed on the role because she didn’t want to spend too much time on the make-up chair–plus she thought the movie wasn’t going to be a hit. She explains:
“I was really scared of the idea of being stuck and painted a different color because of the amount of time that the X-Men people had been [on the makeup chair].”
There was also the case that Seyfried didn’t think the movie was going to be a success either. She continued, “I definitely got the offer for it, and I definitely milled over it for a couple of days, but I didn’t want to live in London for six months out of the year… Let’s also remember, being part of a Marvel movie—the first Marvel movie that bombs ain’t good for your career. I thought that because this was about a talking tree and a talking raccoon that it was gonna be Marvel’s first bomb and that Chris Pratt and I would never work again. I was wrong. I was just being smart, not brave… I was way too scared.”
For now, Seyfried is still out of the Marvel Studios bubble, but with more properties getting adapted, it may only be a matter of time before she eventually joins the fray.
As for the Gamora character, it looks like she’s been officially retired from the MCU, but there are still plans for the Guardians to return (as well as a possible Star-Lord spinoff). Hopefully Marvel finds someone else to take it over.
Personally, I think ex-Ant-Man director Edgar Wright would be a great choice for a new Guardians team, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
The next Marvel Studios film, Thunderbolts* is set to release on May 2.
