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Back in December, Marvel and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ director James Gunn began looking for their Peter Quill, the half-human, half-alien astronaut who goes by the name Star-Lord and leads the intergalactic peacekeeping force consisting of Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Raccoon, Gamora, and Groot. Since the search began, there was a seemingly unending list of suitors for the role including Jack Huston, Jim Sturgess, Lee Pace, Michael Rosenbaum, Garret Hedlund, Eddie Redmayne, Zachary Levi, John Krasinski, and several others. Now, it appears that the search is over and the man who won out the role was found in Pawnee, Indiana.

According to Deadline, Chris Pratt of ‘Parks and Recreation’ has landed the lead role in Marvel’s upcoming 2014 cosmic flick. The actor is best known for his role of Andy Dwyer on the NBC series alongside Amy Poehler, but he can also be seen in ‘Moneyball’ opposite Brad Pitt, ‘The Five-Year Engagement’ with Jason Segel and Emily Blunt, and the Academy Award nominated film ‘Zero Dark Thirty’.

Talk about out of left field. Pratt wasn’t mentioned on any list of potential candidates for the role that was released over the past few months. Not that the charismatic and lovable actor doesn’t deserve it, but this is a complete surprise. Regardless, Marvel hasn’t steered us wrong yet in their casting decisions. Every character so far has been spot on, so it’s very likely that they see something here that the confused fans out there right now don’t.

Now that Star-Lord has been found, we anxiously await the casting choices for his teammates. Previously, Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler were talked about for potential roles in the film, so maybe Pratt will join the two comedic icons onscreen.

What do you think of this casting choice? Is Chris Pratt the right choice for Star-Lord? Was there anyone else on the massive shortlist that should’ve gotten the role instead? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ is scheduled to hit theaters on August 1st, 2014, but we may see Star-Lord a bit sooner if the recent ‘Iron Man 3’ news is to be believed.