Upcoming Chris Pratt Movies To Keep On Your Radar
(Welcome to On Your Radar, a series where we take a look at what's next for the biggest actors and filmmakers, and why you should be excited...or not.)
Chris Pratt has undergone a pretty amazing transformation over the last handful of years in Hollywood. At one point, he was just known as the lovable goofball from "Parks and Recreation," but thanks to the double whammy of "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Jurassic World" in 2014 and 2015, he became a massive movie star. That being the case, the man has quite a few movies coming up, both in successful franchises and old ones that are getting a new shot at life.
While Pratt certainly still exercises his comedic chops, he hasn't shied away from more serious action roles, like Amazon's "The Tomorrow War" (and its upcoming sequel). But he is also going to be voicing Garfield soon, so he has a pretty wide range of projects coming down the pipeline. From "Jurassic World Dominion" to "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," and from "Mario" to "Cowboy Ninja Viking," here are several upcoming Chris Pratt movies to keep on your radar.
Jurassic World Dominion
Say what you will about the "Jurassic World" movies up to this point in the series, but they have revitalized the franchise in a way few thought possible following 2001's lackluster "Jurassic Park III" (which happens to be the worst movie I've seen the highest number of times). These movies have a huge following and, for my money, the first "Jurassic World" was quite good. In any event, Pratt will be back as Owen Grady in 2022's "Jurassic World Dominion," which will see dinosaurs out in the world amongst humans! Not only that, but the original trio of Sam Neill (Alan Grant), Laura Dern (Ellie Sattler), and Jeff Goldblum (Ian Malcolm) are all coming back in significant roles as well.
"Jurassic World Dominion" is directed by Colin Trevorrow and is set to hit theaters on June 10, 2022.
Thor: Love and Thunder
As Marvel Cinematic Universe fans may recall, the end of "Avengers: Endgame" saw Thor heading off with the Guardians of the Galaxy, primed to join them for a round of cosmic adventures. That thread is going to be paid off in 2022's "Thor: Love and Thunder," directed by "Thor: Ragnarok" filmmaker Taika Waititi. While it remains somewhat unclear just how large of a role the Guardians are going to have, Pratt will once again suit up as Star-Lord alongside his fellow rag-tag team to join Chris Hemsworth's Thor on his fourth upcoming solo adventure. Even if it's only for a short while, this has fun written all over it.
"Thor: Love and Thunder" is set to hit theaters on July 8, 2022.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Speaking of Star-Lord, Pratt will be suiting up yet again as the Marvel character in the not-too-distant future. James Gunn is returning to the MCU fold to finish what he started with "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," the sequel to 2017's "Vol. 2." Among other things, the film will bring Adam Warlock into the fold, with Will Poulter ("Midsommar") playing the role. Beyond that, the entire core cast is returning, with Gunn once again writing and directing. This is expected to be something of a conclusion for the story that started way back in 2014, so this could get emotional (and probably awesome).
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is currently set to hit theaters on May 23, 2023.
Animated Mario Movie
While it doesn't have an official title as of this writing, Chris Pratt is set to take on the role of Nintendo icon Mario in an animated feature based on the video game franchise. While the internet reacted very poorly to the casting, Pratt has successfully led an animated franchise in the past with "The LEGO Movie," and given his overall popularity, it's easy enough to see why the producers thought this might be a good idea. In any event, the movie boasts a stacked cast that also includes Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong and Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach.
Hailing from Illumination, the "Mario" movie is set to hit theaters on December 22, 2022. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic ("Teen Titans Go!") are directing.
Cowboy Ninja Viking
Last, but certainly not least, we come to "Cowboy Ninja Viking." This one is a bit more nebulous at the moment, as Pratt has long been attached in the lead role of this Image Comics adaptation. For a little context, here is the official synopsis for AJ Lieberman and Riley Rossmo's comic:
It started with Dr. Sebastian Ghislain: rogue psychotherapist/covert op/DJ. Tasked with creating a counter-intelligence unit, he turned to those long thought useless to society...patients with Multiple Personality Disorder. These agents became known simply as Triplets. Misguided? Yeah. Impractical? Sure. But did it work? Absolutely not. Now someone has located each Triplet and created a band of ridiculously disturbed, but highly effective assassins. Our only hope? A Triplet known as Cowboy Ninja Viking!
This project has been hit by several delays and at one point, Michelle MacLaren ("Breaking Bad") was set to direct with Priyanka Chopra ("Quantico") on board to star alongside Pratt. As of this writing it's not clear where the movie stands, but given the continued popularity of comic book properties, this one still seems like it's bound to happen. Keep an eye out.