Adam Brody Read For This Marvel Hero Before Shazam - 'I Wanted That One'
In both "Shazam!" and "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," the titular hero can't defeat the forces of evil on his own. Thus, he calls upon his super-powered family members to give him a collective helping hand. In this tight-knit superhero team is Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), who goes from a nerdy, often bullied kid to a muscular, powerful superhuman adult as soon as he says "Shazam." To bring his powered-up form to life, the minds behind the "Shazam!" duology brought in actor Adam Brody, though he could've slipped through their fingers had he landed a role in another big-screen superhero team.
During a conversation with Variety, Brody shared that he attempted to secure a spot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe once upon a time. He read for Peter Quill, better known as Star-Lord, hopeful that he could lead the first-ever live-action take on the Guardians of the Galaxy. Sadly for him, though, director James Gunn and those at Marvel Studios decided he wasn't the right fit and passed on him. "I wanted that one," he told the publication, though he has come to feel that Chris Pratt was the proper choice for the character all along.
Surprisingly, Brody isn't the only actor in the "Shazam!" series who tried out for the Star-Lord role back when it was still up for grabs.
Zachary Levi also missed out on the Star-Lord role
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.