In the early 2010s, the MCU was beginning to find its legs, and folks across the entertainment world were interested in taking part. Even a relatively niche character like Star-Lord had some high-profile actors hopeful they could bring the character to life at the movies. This list of actors included John Krasinski, Glenn Howerton, and Eddie Redmayne, to name a few, in addition to someone Adam Brody got to work with quite closely while filming both “Shazam!” movies: Shazam himself, Zachary Levi.
Levi recalled his experience of almost being cast as Star-Lord in an interview with ComicBook.com, telling the website of his closeness with “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn, “I’ve been at a Christmas party of his and almost was Star-Lord in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy.'” Ultimately, Levi didn’t land the role, but he noted that he left such a strong impression on Gunn that when producer Peter Safran was working on “Shazam!”, Gunn pushed him to hire Levi for the starring role. With that, he became a leading man under the DC banner.
They may have missed out on the Star-Lord role and, therefore, a chance to become major MCU stars, but it’s fair to say that both Zachary Levi and Adam Brody have done well for themselves elsewhere in Hollywood.