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Joseph Gordon-Levitt for Marvel hero

Los Angeles - Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the frontrunner to star in Guardians of the Galaxy.

The Inception actor is reportedly being seriously considered by Marvel studios to play leading man Peter Quill - otherwise known as Star-Lord - in its new superhero franchise.

The film, to be helmed by Slither director James Gunn, is based on the Marvel Comics series and features half-human, half-alien Quill as the captain of a psychically-controlled spaceship.

Justice League rival

He embarks on a mission to lead a group of superheroes against an evil alien race who threaten the solar system, according to Collider.

It had previously been reported that Marvel were casting for the lead and had narrowed their search down to eight actors, including Garrett Hedlund (TRON Legacy), James Marsden (X-Men), Eddie Redmayne (My Week with Marilyn), Zachary Levi (Chuck) and Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe).

Joel Edgerton (Zero Dark Thirty), Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire), Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies) and Sullivan Stapleton (Animal Kingdom) were also being considered.

Joseph sparked speculation he would be appearing in Warner Bros' rival superhero team-up flick Justice League after being revealed as Batman's successor at the end of The Dark Knight Rises, but the claims have since been denied by his representative.

The Guardians of the Galaxy script has been written by Chris McCoy and Nicole Perlman and the film is scheduled for release in August 2014.

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