Guardians of the Galaxy OFFICIAL Guardians of Galaxy Casting Thread - Part 1

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just something from slashfilm about marvel casting.
http://www.slashfilm.com/behind-the-scenes-the-screen-test-and-dealmaking-process-at-marvel-studios/

Over the past couple weeks we’ve heard a lot about the casting process for Guardians of the Galaxy at Marvel Studios. The film is the next big thing from the studio, and requires the assembly of a substantial cast to play the team of the title.
Chris Pratt won the lead role, and at the end of last week we heard that Jason Momoa had been offered one of the prime secondary roles. That was followed by some dithering about whether or not he was going to take the salary Marvel is offering. We’ve heard that sort of thing before, especially with respect to Marvel, which notoriously lowballs salaries for actors. Ultimately, Momoa has reportedly passed on the role.
But since we’re talking about this a lot lately, there’s some background to this dealmaking that sets Marvel apart from other studios, and it is worth knowing. Every studio tests actors for big roles in new tentpoles, but no movie studio does it in quite the same way Marvel does. The specifics of Marvel’s working method mean that the way things get reported are a little different from other outfits, as well. So let’s dig in to how the company does business, to get a better understanding of what some of the news reports mean.
The typical setup is that once a movie project is in motion, there’s a set of producers (and the director) on one side, and a set of actors and their managers and agents on the other. The dealmaking process isn’t always straightforward, but generally speaking actors test or are considered, there’s some back and forth on deal points, and eventually someone is signed.
At Marvel, the structure is a bit different. Marvel’s system works like TV. In TV dealmaking, many deals are written and signed before actors have tested for a part, and way before they’ve been offered a part. There might be some bargaining, but the average actor who signs for a TV show knows what they’re going to make for each theoretical season and how many seasons they’re locked in for at the outset.
Before an actor tests for a Marvel role, a deal is written and signed. That last part is important. If an actor wants to read for a role, or go on tape to test for the producers on a Marvel film, they start the process with a deal that specifies salary, the number of films in which that actor can be optioned to appear, and so on. This happens whether or not a part is offered.
Thus, when a role is offered, there is already a deal. It’s a fairly unique setup.
What does this have to do with Guardians of the Galaxy?

  • A lot of people have tested for the big roles.
  • Quite a few people went in for Drax, the role for which Momoa was rumored.
  • They all have deals, but none are, for lack of a better word, active.
  • At this point, no one has the part.
  • That’s probably going to change, fast, but right now, Marvel has its pick of people.
Why do actors want this, despite the fact that Marvel’s process isn’t traditional, or particularly accommodating?
It should be obvious, but look at someone like Chris Hemsworth. He didn’t earn much to play Thor originally, and he likely didn’t get a lot more to be in The Avengers, or Thor 2. But before he was Thor, he was just another Australian import. Now he’s Chris Hemsworth. He’s a name, and he can get a hefty salary for lead roles outside of Marvel.
The studio’s movies have become great stepping stones for actors — especially those in lead roles. Chris Evans was doing excellent work long before he was Captain America, but that movie made people see him differently. The assumption is that Guardians of the Galaxy would have the power to do this for the new cast. Personally, I’m disappointed that Momoa (or his people) seem to have decided that the deal wasn’t to his advantage.
 
Exactly. It's not about the payday, it's about the notoriety you can get in Hollywood. A lot of the best guys in the game now started out with supporting roles probably not making more than 5 figures each.
 
I read in some random ass article (probably untrue) that Chris Evans is getting $8 M for Cap 2. I imagine if Guardians were any sort of hit, that the cast would see proportionate pay increases.
 
If he wants to wash the taste of Conan away he needs to stay with this.
 
That article is all based on El Mayimbe's information on Mamoa being true, which we don't have confirmation on yet (I don't think).
 
That article is all based on El Mayimbe's information on Mamoa being true, which we don't have confirmation on yet (I don't think).

Momoa is mentioned, but the article is a broader exploration of Marvel's hiring process. It's not specific to any given movie. And it doesn't say anything that a lot of us didn't already know; but there are some folks who've tried to argue that Marvel Studios *doesn't* use the lowball-'em tactic. Nice to see a pretty major website lend credence to what most of us have said about the studio all along.
 
That article is all based on El Mayimbe's information on Mamoa being true, which we don't have confirmation on yet (I don't think).
THR/Deadline/EW (can't remember which one) basically confirmed Mayimbe's report on twitter (though denied he had a deal).
 
Sometimes I wonder how persersive an agent can be. If the agent says it's not a good deal, I'm sure Momoa can contact Marvel on his own and tell them he wants in. The only problem would be a political one, where the agency can oust Momoa. But I think it'll be worth it though.
 
Exactly. It's not about the payday, it's about the notoriety you can get in Hollywood. A lot of the best guys in the game now started out with supporting roles probably not making more than 5 figures each.

Look at Hemsworth and how he's one of the most wanted actors in H'Wood!

It's a great incentive for an actor to get involved. Plus you'll have a steady job with the sequels, cameos, and Avengers movies to keep any actor busy and relevant in the public's eye.
 
Momoa is mentioned, but the article is a broader exploration of Marvel's hiring process. It's not specific to any given movie. And it doesn't say anything that a lot of us didn't already know; but there are some folks who've tried to argue that Marvel Studios *doesn't* use the lowball-'em tactic. Nice to see a pretty major website lend credence to what most of us have said about the studio all along.

I was referring to their assertion that Mamoa had turned the part down, which linked to EM's twitter post about the rumor.

The rest of the article was interesting, but they also fail to point out that RDJ made $50 million on Avengers. Not exactly chump change.
 
The author also seem to completely contradict himself, by telling us that the actors already sign their contracts and know the deal and salary before auditioning, and then that Momoa went ahead and auditioned and was offered the part and turned it down. Which essentially amounts to wasting his time and burning bridges for no reason. If this setup were real, and he didn't like the salary, he simply wouldn't have auditioned.

It seems like this guy is kind of talking out of his ass, and confusing test deal(s) with the actual final contracts that come later. Or the Momoa stuff is completely bunk.
 
The author also seem to completely contradict himself, by telling us that the actors already sign their contracts and know the deal and salary before auditioning, and then that Momoa went ahead and auditioned and was offered the part and turned it down. Which essentially amounts to wasting his time and burning bridges for no reason. If this setup were real, and he didn't like the salary, he simply wouldn't have auditioned.

It seems like this guy is kind of talking out of his ass, and confusing test deal(s) with the actual final contracts that come later. Or the Momoa stuff is completely bunk.

All he needed was to mention this wasn't Shakespeare to be dunce cap worthy.
 
The author also seem to completely contradict himself, by telling us that the actors already sign their contracts and know the deal and salary before auditioning, and then that Momoa went ahead and auditioned and was offered the part and turned it down. Which essentially amounts to wasting his time and burning bridges for no reason. If this setup were real, and he didn't like the salary, he simply wouldn't have auditioned.

It seems like this guy is kind of talking out of his ass, and confusing test deal(s) with the actual final contracts that come later. Or the Momoa stuff is completely bunk.


I noticed the contradictory statements, too. If Momoa and everyone else already knew what the pay was going in and had signed a contract accepting the (potential) deal, how could he have come back asking for more and why would he have done the test if he knew he didn't want the stated pay? People who have already signed contracts aren't in a position to negotiate.


This is Internet "journalism" and the rules are different from the real kind, but doesn't anyone cite sources? The author wants us to believe his account of Marvel's practices without even "a source close to the process" to substantiate it.
 
Or: the El Maybe rumors about Momoa trying to renegotiate were true, and it's just a case that either he or his agent (or both) are stupid enough to think that Marvel Studios didn't mean what they say, and/or that Big HBO Star can bully around some relative noobies and outsiders to the Hollywood game.

I'd be willing to bet that's what it boils down to. Momoa signed the "pre-nup" contract like everybody else, Marvel put the ring on his finger, and he thought he was big-shot enough to try to go back and renegotiate the pre-nups.
 
Or: the El Maybe rumors about Momoa trying to renegotiate were true, and it's just a case that either he or his agent (or both) are stupid enough to think that Marvel Studios didn't mean what they say, and/or that Big HBO Star can bully around some relative noobies and outsiders to the Hollywood game.

I'd be willing to bet that's what it boils down to. Momoa signed the "pre-nup" contract like everybody else, Marvel put the ring on his finger, and he thought he was big-shot enough to try to go back and renegotiate the pre-nups.

"DidjuseemeonGameofthrones?"
 
I'm not Momoa's biggest fan but I find it really hard to believe that he's that bullish or stupid. You don't sign a contract and turn around and try to renegotiate it two weeks later when you have zero leverage.

It's a lot easier to buy that this "journalist" wrote up some fluffy nonsense to generate some hits.
 
Maybe he never signed a deal and maybe the reporters like El Mayimbe got it wrong...AGAIN.
 
Stan Lee???

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IMDb is totally unreliable because anyone can edit it. I do love the idea of Stephen Colbert voicing Groot, though. He'd probably be a great mo-cap performer.
 
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Joseph Gordon-Levitt confirmed at the Oscars he's completed shooting for Sin City 2: A DAME TO KILL FOR.. so looks like that commitment wasn't a conflict with GUARDIANS.. perhaps he'll end up playing Adam Warlock or Nova?

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I'm calling it now -the reason Momoa has passed on Drax is because he's actually going to be Marvel's Hercules. ;)
 
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