James Gunn (filmmaker)

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James Gunn
James Gunn - Guardians of the Galaxy premiere - July 2014 (cropped).jpg
Gunn in 2014
Born James Francis Gunn Jr.
(1966-08-05) August 5, 1966 (age 57)[n 1]
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Nationality American
Education Saint Louis University (B.A.)
Columbia University (M.F.A.)
Occupation Screenwriter, director, producer, novelist, actor, musician
Years active 1995-present
Spouse(s) Jenna Fischer (m. 2000; div. 2008)
Relatives Sean Gunn (brother)
Matt Gunn (brother)
Patrick Gunn (brother)
Brian Gunn (brother)
Mark Gunn (paternal cousin)
Website jamesgunn.com

James Francis Gunn Jr.[1] (born August 5, 1966)[n 1] is an American filmmaker, actor, novelist, and musician. He started his career as a screenwriter in the mid-1990s, writing the scripts for Tromeo and Juliet (1996), The Specials (2000), Scooby-Doo (2002) and its sequel, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), and the 2004 version of Dawn of the Dead. He then started working as a director, starting with the horror-comedy film Slither (2006). He subsequently wrote and directed the web series James Gunn's PG Porn (2008–2009), the superhero film Super (2010), and the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and its sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017).

Early life

Gunn was born on August 5, 1966 in St. Louis, Missouri.[2]:{{{3}}}[n 1]:{{{3}}} He was raised between St. Louis and Manchester, Missouri.[5][6] His brothers are actor Sean, actor and political writer Matt, screenwriter Brian,[7] and former Executive Vice President with Artisan Entertainment Patrick.[8] He also has a sister named Beth.[9] Their parents are Leota[10] and James F. Gunn, an attorney.[4] Gunn's surname is derived from the Irish name MacGilGunn, meaning "sons to the servants of the god of the dead".[11]

Growing up, Gunn was influenced by low-budget films such as Night of the Living Dead and Friday the 13th. He read magazines like Fangoria and attended genre movie screenings, including the original Dawn of the Dead at the Tivoli Theatre in St. Louis. At the age of 12, he began making 8 mm zombie films with his brothers in the woods near their home.[12]

Gunn and his brothers all attended the Jesuit St. Louis University High School, where he graduated in 1984.[3][4] He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Louis University.[13] While at Saint Louis University, Gunn created political cartoons for the school's student weekly, The University News.[14] Gunn said that, at an unspecified time in his college education, "I went to two years undergraduate film school at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles. But I was pretty screwed up at the time, and had to leave. Years later I went to graduate school at the Columbia University School of Fine Arts but I studied prose writing, not film writing."[15] He earned a Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University in 1995.[16]

Career

Music

While living in St. Louis, Gunn started 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[citation needed]. Gunn has continued to work in music, composing songs for Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, and Movie 43.

Film and television

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.[12] 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.[17] 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.[18]

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.[19] 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".[20] 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, where he directed contestants during acting challenges.[21]

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.[22] 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."[23]

In 2010, Gunn released the film Super, a dark comedy and superhero satire starring Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page. Gunn co-wrote and directed the Marvel Studios adaptation of Guardians of the Galaxy, which was released on August 1, 2014.[24] His brother Sean Gunn 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,[25] Gunn responded in a Facebook post, saying in part:<templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

[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.[26]

Gunn wrote and produced the horror film The Belko Experiment, which was released in 2017.[27] In 2016, he directed three Stan Lee cameo scenes in one day, for the film Doctor Strange and two unrevealed projects.[28][29][30]

Gunn wrote and directed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017).[31][32][33] In April 2017, Gunn confirmed he would return to write and direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.[34]

On July 19, 2018, Twitter users brought to light comments by Gunn on Twitter joking about pedophilia and other sexual crimes.[35] In response to the controversy, Gunn released the following series of statements:

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"Many people who have followed my career know when I started, I viewed myself as a provocateur, making movies and telling jokes that were outrageous and taboo. As I have discussed publicly many times, as I’ve developed as a person, so has my work and my humor.
It’s not to say I’m better, but I am very, very different than I was a few years ago; today I try to root my work in love and connection and less in anger. My days saying something just because it’s shocking and trying to get a reaction are over.
In the past, I have apologized for humor of mine that hurt people. I truly felt sorry and meant every word of my apologies.
For the record, when I made these shocking jokes, I wasn’t living them out. I know this is a weird statement to make, and seems obvious, but, still, here I am, saying it.
Anyway, that’s the completely honest truth: I used to make a lot of offensive jokes. I don’t anymore. I don’t blame my past self for this, but I like myself more and feel like a more full human being and creator today. Love you to you all."

On July 20, 2018, Disney announced that Gunn had been fired as the director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.[36][37]

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. He wrote the story for Grasshopper Manufacture's video game Lollipop Chainsaw.[38]

Personal life

Gunn married actress Jenna Fischer on October 7, 2000, in an event that Gunn's hometown paper said was officiated by Lloyd Kaufman,[4] but which Gunn later clarified had not been: “They said I was married by Lloyd Kaufman, which is not true. He was at my wedding and he gave a speech.”[30] The two had originally met in the St. Louis area through Gunn's brother Sean, who had acted in plays alongside Fischer in high school.[12] After seven years of marriage, Gunn and Fischer announced their separation in a joint statement on September 5, 2007,[39] divorcing in 2008.[40] In 2010 Fischer helped Gunn with casting Rainn Wilson, her co-star on The Office, in Gunn's film Super.[12]

Gunn was raised in a Roman Catholic family and has mentioned how prayer continues to play an important role in his life [41], but has also said that he is "in some ways, antireligion",[42] although he later clarified,

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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.[43]

Filmography

Year Film Functioned as Notes
Director Writer Producer Actor Role
1996 Tromeo and Juliet Yes Yes Found a peanut father Also associate director
1997 Hamster PSA Yes Yes Short film
1997 Sgt. Kabukiman Public Service Announcement Yes Insane Masturbator Television short
1997–2000 The Tromaville Cafe Yes Yes Yes Mike the Crazy Boom Guy Also creator
2000 The Specials Yes Yes Yes Minute Man Co-producer
2000 Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV Yes Doctor Flem Hocking
2002 Scooby-Doo Yes
2003 The Ghouls Yes
2003 Doggie Tails, Vol. 1: Lucky's First Sleep-Over Yes Riley Direct-to-video
2003 Melvin Goes to Dinner Yes Scott
2004 Tube Yes Short film
2004 Dawn of the Dead Yes
2004 Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed Yes Yes Co-producer
2004 LolliLove Yes Yes James Also executive producer
Uncredited as writer
2006 Slither Yes Yes Yes Hank Uncredited as actor
2008–2009 James Gunn's PG Porn Yes Yes Yes Yes Various roles Web series
Also executive producer
2008 Sparky & Mikaela Yes Yes Yes Web short
2008 Humanzee! Yes Yes Yes Yes James Web short
2010 Super Yes Yes Yes Demonswill
2012 Lollipop Chainsaw Yes Video game
2013 Movie 43 Partial Partial Segment: "Beezel"
2013 Thor: The Dark World Mid-credits scene Uncredited[44]
2013 LocoCycle[45] Yes Video game
2013 Holliston Yes John Anguish Episode: "Honesty"
2014 Guardians of the Galaxy Yes Yes Yes Maskless Sakaaran, Baby Groot Also CGI actor in end-credits scene [46]
2015 Con Man Yes Raaker 2.0 Web series[47]
2016 Doctor Strange Guest Guest Uncredited; Stan Lee cameo scene[28][29]
2016 The Belko Experiment Yes Yes
2017 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Yes Yes
2018 Avengers: Infinity War Executive Credit as executive producer;[48]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Title Result
2005 Bram Stoker Award Best Screenplay Dawn of the Dead Nominated
2006 Chainsaw Award Highest Body Count Slither Won
2007 Saturn Award The Filmmakers Showcase Award Slither Won
2014 Golden Raspberry Award Worst Screenplay Movie 43 (shared with co-writers) Won
2014 Golden Raspberry Award Worst Director Movie 43 (shared with co-directors) Won
2015 Writers Guild of America Awards Best Adapted Screenplay Guardians of the Galaxy (shared with Nicole Perlman) Nominated
2015 Hollywood Film Awards Blockbuster of the Year Guardians of the Galaxy Won
2015 Critics' Choice Awards Best Action Film Guardians of the Galaxy Won
2015 Saturn Award Best Comic-to-Film Motion Picture Guardians of the Galaxy Won
2015 Saturn Award Best Director Guardians of the Galaxy Won
2015 Saturn Award Best Writing Guardians of the Galaxy (shared with Nicole Perlman) Nominated

Bibliography

Year Title Notes
1998 All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger with Lloyd Kaufman
2000 The Toy Collector
2003 Make Your Own Damn Movie: Secrets of a Renegade Director Introduction only

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 While most sources give a birth year of 1970,[2] Gunn graduated from St. Louis University High School in 1984,[3] making 1970 questionable.[4]

References

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  8. Patrick Gunn profile, qualiacapital.com; accessed December 4, 2014.
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  10. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Additional on May 5, 2017.
  11. Interview with James Gunn (April 4, 2012). The 404 Podcast episode 1047
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  28. 28.0 28.1 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….": Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. 29.0 29.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. 30.0 30.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Additional WebCitation archive on May 5, 2017.
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  35. http://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/398114-disney-director-fired-after-old-tweets-unearthed-by-far-right
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  48. Gunn on Facebook Live as transribed by Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links