James Francis Gunn Jr. (born August 5, 1966)[n 1] is an American film director, actor, producer, and screenwriter. He began his career as a screenwriter in the mid-1990s. He then began working as a director, starting with the horror-comedy film Slither (2006), and eventually moving to the superhero genre with Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), its sequel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) and The Suicide Squad (2021). He also wrote and directed the web series James Gunn's PG Porn (2008–2009), and the superhero filmSuper (2010).
James Francis Gunn Jr.[1] was born on August 5, 1966[2][n 1] in St. Louis, Missouri[3] to parents Leota[6] and James F. Gunn, an attorney.[5] He was raised between St. Louis and Manchester, Missouri.[7][8] He has five siblings: actor Sean, actor and political writer Matt, screenwriter Brian, Patrick, and Beth.[9][10][11] He is of Irish[12] and Jewish[13] heritage. Gunn has stated that his family's surname was originally the Irish name MacGilgunn and that it means "sons to the servants of the god of the dead"; it means "son of the brown one".[14][15][16]
While living in St. Louis, Gunn founded a band, The Icons, in 1989, serving as lead vocalist. The group released the album Mom, We Like It Here on Earth in 1994, and its songs "Sunday" and "Walking Naked" were featured in the film Tromeo and Juliet. The Icons disbanded in the mid-1990s.[22] Gunn has continued to work in music, composing songs for Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, and Movie 43.
Film and television
Gunn in 2014
Gunn began his career in filmmaking with Troma Entertainment in 1995, for which he wrote the independent film Tromeo and Juliet. Working alongside his mentor Lloyd Kaufman, the co-founder of Troma, Gunn learned how to write screenplays, produce films, scout locations, direct actors, distribute films, and create his own poster art.[17] After contributing to several other Troma films, Gunn in 2000 wrote, produced and performed in the superhero comedy The Specials, directed by Craig Mazin and featuring Rob Lowe, Thomas Haden Church, Paget Brewster, Judy Greer and Jamie Kennedy.
Gunn's first major Hollywood screenplay was Scooby-Doo in 2002. In 2004, he wrote the screenplays for the remake of Dawn of the Dead and the sequel Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. With these films, Gunn became the first screenwriter to have two films top the box office in consecutive weeks.[23] That same year, he executive produced and starred in the mockumentary LolliLove, directed by and starring his then-wife Jenna Fischer. His film directorial debut was the 2006 horror-comedy Slither, which was included on Rotten Tomatoes' list of the 50 Best Ever Reviewed Horror Movies.[24]
Gunn's next projects included the comedy short film "Humanzee!" which was originally intended exclusively for the Xbox Live's Horror Meets Comedy series of short comedy films by horror directors, it was replaced with "Sparky and Mikaela" which debuted on Xbox Live on December 31, 2008. In an April 2009 interview on The Jace Hall Show, Gunn described "Sparky and Mikaela" as being "about a human [and] racoon crime fighting team and they fight crime in both the forest world, among the furry animals, and in the human world".[25] Gunn also has a short-form web series for Spike.com titled James Gunn's PG Porn.
In 2008, Gunn was a judge on the VH1 reality television show Scream Queens, where 10 unknown actresses compete for a role in the film Saw VI.[26]
In 2009, Gunn announced he was going to write and direct Pets, a comedy about a man who is abducted by aliens who want to turn him into a household pet, with Ben Stiller, Stuart Cornfeld and Jeremy Kramer producing.[27] However, by March 2009, Gunn announced, "Pets unfortunately, is done. I'm gone. I left the project for various reasons. I hope it sees the light of day somehow, but it won't be with me attached as director."[28]
Gunn co-wrote and directed the Marvel Studios adaptation of Guardians of the Galaxy, which was released on August 1, 2014.[29] His brother, Sean, has a role in the film. Gunn has appeared as an actor, mostly in smaller roles or uncredited appearances in his own projects. After Dan Gilroy and Jack Black separately lamented the proliferation of superhero films,[30] Gunn responded in a Facebook post, saying in part:
[P]opular fare in any medium has always been snubbed by the self-appointed elite. ... What bothers me slightly is that many people assume because you make big films that you put less love, care, and thought into them then people do who make independent films or who make what are considered more serious Hollywood films. ... If you think people who make superhero movies are dumb, come out and say we're dumb. But if you, as an independent filmmaker or a 'serious' filmmaker, think you put more love into your characters than the Russo Brothers do Captain America, or Joss Whedon does the Hulk, or I do a talking raccoon, you are simply mistaken.[31]
In October 2018, Gunn was hired to write a completely new script for The Suicide Squad, with the intention of also serving as director, after its original director Gavin O'Connor left due to scheduling issues.[41][42] In January 2019, he was officially confirmed to direct The Suicide Squad.[43] He will also write, direct, and produce a spin-off television series from the film centered on the character Peacemaker played by John Cena for HBO Max.[44] Gunn will also co-write and co-produce a live-action/animated film titled Coyote vs. Acme, based on Looney Tunes character Wile E. Coyote, for the Warner Animation Group.[45]
Other media
Gunn wrote a novel in 2000, The Toy Collector, a story of a hospital orderly who steals drugs from the hospital which he sells to help keep his toy collection habit alive. In 1998, he and Troma's President Lloyd Kaufman co-wrote All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from The Toxic Avenger, about his experiences with Kaufman while working at Troma.
In July 2018, in reaction to Gunn's public criticisms of Donald Trump, commentator Mike Cernovich drew attention to tweets that Gunn wrote between 2008 and 2012, joking about topics like rape, 9/11, child abuse and pedophilia.[47]
Amid criticism of the tweets, Disney severed ties with Gunn as the director of the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 film;[48][needs update] he was also dismissed from a role to help lead Marvel's planned "Cosmic Universe".[49] Gunn responded: "I have regretted [those jokes] for many years since. [...] Regardless of how much time has passed, I understand and accept the business decisions taken today. Even these many years later, I take full responsibility for the way I conducted myself then. All I can do now [is offer] my sincere and heartfelt regret [...] To everyone inside my industry and beyond, I again offer my deepest apologies."[48][50]
Because of the situation, Sony Pictures decided to not promote the horror film Brightburn, which Gunn produced, at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con.[58] However, when the first trailer for the film was released on December 8, 2018, Gunn's name was prominently featured. The film opened in May 2019.[59]
In March 2019, Gunn was reinstated by Disney as director of the film after meeting with Alan Horn, chairman of Walt Disney Studios. Gunn will start production on the film once his work on The Suicide Squad has been completed.[40]
Personal life
Gunn married actress Jenna Fischer on October 7, 2000.[5] Gunn and Fischer had originally met in the St. Louis area through Gunn's brother Sean, who had acted in plays alongside Fischer in high school.[17] Gunn's hometown paper reported that the marriage was officiated by fellow filmmaker Lloyd Kaufman,[5] although this was not the case; though Kaufman did attend the wedding and gave a speech.[35] After seven years of marriage, Gunn and Fischer announced their separation in a joint statement on September 5, 2007,[60] divorcing in 2008.[61] In 2010, Fischer persuaded Gunn to cast Rainn Wilson, her co-star on The Office, in Gunn's film Super.[17]
Gunn has been in a relationship with actress Jennifer Holland since 2015.[62]
Gunn was raised in a Roman Catholic family and has mentioned how prayer continues to play an important role in his life,[63] but has also said that he is "in some ways, anti-religion".[64] Gunn explained his views in detail in 2016:
My personal take is that there is a role for spirituality in some people's lives and I think that a belief in God can be a good thing for a great amount of people [...] I do not like any sort of faith or religion that is based on exclusivity, meaning any sort of religion that says you're damned to hell or you're not going to be saved because you don't believe the same thing I do. I believe faith and spiritual belief is a very, very personal thing and if I started applying what I believe to everybody else it would be unfair to everybody's individuality and I really hate that.[65]
^ ab"Notable Alumni: SLUH". St. Louis University High School. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2014. James Gunn '84, filmmaker and screenwriter; Brian Gunn '88, screenwriter; Matt Gunn '90, writer for HBO show Real Time with Bill Maher; Sean Gunn '92, actor.
^While Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson believed Gunn directed four cameos, Gunn said on social media, "To be honest, I think I only did THREE cameos — one was shot by someone else. And my third probably isn't what you think it is….": "James Gunn directed the next four Stan Lee Marvel cameos". Entertainment Weekly. October 29, 2016. Archived from the original on November 1, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
^ abLovece, Frank (May 4, 2017). "James Gunn says 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' a family affair". Newsday. New York City/Long Island. Archived from the original on May 5, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2017. And while he directed the Stan Lee cameo in director Scott Derrickson's Doctor Strange, he did not direct the Marvel Comics impresario's cameos in the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok or Spider-Man: Homecoming. But, he reveals, 'I did do one that I can't talk about.'CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Additional on May 5, 2017.
^Gunn on Facebook Live as transribed by Mueller, Matthew (February 5, 2017). "James Gunn directed the next four Stan Lee Marvel cameos". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2017. Am I going to have any involvement with Infinity War, yes, I'm an executive producer on Infinity War.
Movie 43 – Steve Baker, Ricky Blitt, Will Carlough, Tobias Carlson, Jacob Fleisher, Patrik Forsberg, Will Graham, James Gunn, Claes Kjellstrom, Jack Kukoda, Bob Odenkirk, Bill O'Malley, Matthew Alec Portenoy, Greg Pritikin, Rocky Russo, Olle Sarri, Elizabeth Wright Shapiro, Jeremy Sosenko, Jonathan van Tulleken and Jonas Wittenmark (2013)