Storytelling is always king, that's all that matters to us. And I wanna be true to those stories, I wanna be true to you guys, and give you something different than you've ever seen before. 
- —James Gunnsrc
James Gunn (b. August 5, 1966) is the creative head of DC Studios, the creator of the new DC Universe, and the writer and director of several superhero films and series with a comedic edge, most notably the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and Peacemaker.
Professional History
Starting as a screenwriter primarily working for Troma Entertainment in the 1990s, James Gunn gained some recognition for writing Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed for Warner Bros. However, his big break came when he wrote and directed Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 for Marvel Studios, both of which were critical and commercial successes, and launched Gunn into the public eye.
After he was briefly fired by Marvel in 2018 when controversial tweets he made years ago resurfaced on the internet, he came to work for DC Studios, where he wrote, directed, and produced the DC Extended Universe film The Suicide Squad, mainly taking influence from John Ostrander's original Suicide Squad comics. He also created the spin-off Max series Peacemaker, and after his apology for the tweets and several of his friends in the industry vouching for him, Gunn came back to Marvel and was reinstated as writer and director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. He also wrote and directed the additional Disney+ special The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which he completed and released in 2022.
In late 2022, while still working on his Guardians projects, Gunn took the role of co-chairman of DC Studios, managing the general creative direction for the DC brand in film, television and gaming, with Peter Safran managing the business side of the company. He set the DC Extended Universe to be reset into the DC Universe, a new world with some DCEU projects implemented into its timeline, including The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker.
The first wave of projects in the new DCU from him and Safran, called "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters", was teased in January 2023 and announced a plethora of upcoming DC films and series, some written and directed by Gunn himself, namely the animated series Creature Commandos, the second season of Peacemaker, and the movie Superman. After releasing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in May 2023 to much critical and audience praise, Gunn set his full attention on DC Studios, and is currently filming both Superman and the second season of Peacemaker simultaneously.
Personal History
James Gunn was born in St. Louis, Missouri, as one of six children in an Irish Catholic family. He spent much of his early life reading comic books and making zombie movies with his brothers, one of whom is actor Sean Gunn, who Gunn would later go on to work with in all of his films. He has admitted to having endured much abuse when he was young, which is likely what resulted in him writing several horrible parents as antagonists in his work as an adult. Gunn attended multiple schools before earning his Master's degree in Fine Arts from Columbia University.
Gunn has an immense love for animals, often including animal characters in his projects, and his style is most well-recognized for his tongue-in-cheek, uniquely twisted, and absurd sense of humor, combining it with thematically placed licensed music, and strong emotional themes of family and redemption. He is married to Jennifer Holland, who portrays Emilia Harcourt in his DC projects and Administrator Kwoll in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Work History
- James Gunn/Director
- James Gunn/Writer
- James Gunn/Producer
- James Gunn/Creations
- Gallery of James Gunn's images
Acting Credits
| Harley Quinn | 2019- | Himself |
|---|---|---|
| "Harlivy" | July 28, 2022 | Himself |
| "The 83rd Annual Villy Awards" | July 28, 2022 | Himself |
Trivia
- Several actors who Gunn worked with at DC Studios he also worked with in the Guardians of the Galaxy projects, such as Sean Gunn, Michael Rooker, Nathan Fillion, Chukwudi Iwuji, Steve Agee, Sylvester Stallone, Maria Bakalova, Dee Bradley Baker, Daniela Melchior, Jennifer Holland, Stephen Blackehart, and more.
- Rooker, Fillion, and Blackehart have been friends and collaborators of Gunn's since his first film, Slither, and are the only three actors other than Sean Gunn to have worked with him in all of his films.
- Gunn has also stated he would gladly work with his entire Guardians cast on future DCU projects, citing Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, and Lee Pace specifically as potential actors he'd like to work with again.
- Gunn has cast Doctor Who stars Karen Gillan and Peter Capaldi in major roles in his projects, but has stated he has never seen the show.
- Gunn has called Margot Robbie his favorite actor he's ever worked with, and John Cena the greatest improvisational comedian he's ever worked with.
- Gunn is friends with DC Extended Universe creator Zack Snyder, having penned the script for his first film, the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead, while Snyder recommended the fight choreographer Gunn used on Peacemaker.
- Gunn tends to make cameos in his projects, with the only exceptions to date being The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker.
- An immense lover of music, as well as a musician himself, Gunn has utilized many styles of music in his projects. Some of his favorite bands are the Old 97's and Hanoi Rocks.
- Gunn has discussed the idea of a potential film crossover between the DC Universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige.[1]
External Links
- https://www.jamesgunn.com/
- James Gunn at IMDb
- James Gunn at Wikipedia.org
- James Gunn at Marvel Database