In 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery hired Gunn and Peter Safran to become co-chairmen and co-CEOs of DC Studios.[1] Under DC Studios, Gunn will co-produce and executive produce every film and television series under the upcoming DC Universe (DCU) media franchise alongside Safran, which will act as a soft-reboot of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). In the DCU, he is the creator of the series Creature Commandos (2024) and the writer-director of the upcoming film Superman (2025).
James Francis Gunn Jr.[2] was born on August 5, 1966[3][n 1] in St. Louis, Missouri,[4] to parents James F. Gunn, an attorney, and Leota "Lee" (Hynek).[8][9][10] He was raised Catholic[11] in the St. Louis suburb of Manchester, Missouri.[12][13] He has five siblings — actor Sean, actor and political writer Matt, screenwriter Brian, Patrick, and Beth.[14][15][16] Gunn is of Irish descent[17] his father coming from an Irish immigrant family.[18] 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 actually means "son of the brown youth."[19][20][21][22]
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.[28] 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 1996, for which he co-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.[23] 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.[29] 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.[30]
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".[31] 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.[32]
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.[33] 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."[34]
Gunn co-wrote and directed the Marvel Studios adaptation of Guardians of the Galaxy, which was released on August 1, 2014.[35] 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,[36] Gunn responded in a Facebook post, saying in part:
Popular 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 than 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.[37]
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 President Donald Trump, commentator Mike Cernovich drew attention to controversial jokes that Gunn posted on social media between 2008 and 2012 involving pedophilia and the Holocaust.[53][54] Amid criticism of the tweets, Disney severed ties with Gunn as the director of the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 film at the time;[55] 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."[55][56]
Because of the situation, Sony Pictures decided to not promote the horror film Brightburn, which Gunn produced, at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con.[77] 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.[78]
In March 2019, Gunn was reinstated by Disney as director of the film after meeting with Alan Horn, chairman of Walt Disney Studios. Gunn started production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in October 2021, after The Suicide Squad had been completed.[46]
DC Studios
Gunn and frequent producing partner Peter Safran had advised David Zaslav, the CEO of the newly created Warner Bros. Discovery, during his search for a new head of DC Films. The duo impressed Zaslav who decided to appoint them as the co-chairpersons and CEOs of DC Films, rebranded as "DC Studios", with control over films, animation and television projects based on characters from DC Comics. Gunn oversees the creative aspects and will be exclusive to Warner Bros. Discovery during his tenure, except for his prior commitments to Disney. The two assumed their positions on November 1, 2022.[79][80][81][82]
In December 2022, Gunn announced that he was writing a film about a young Superman during his early years in Metropolis,[83] later revealed to be titled Superman and scheduled for release in July 2025; in March 2023 it was confirmed Gunn would also direct the project.[84] In January 2023, Gunn and Safran revealed their plans for future DCU films, with the first chapter being titled "Gods and Monsters". Gunn also wrote a seven-episode animated series titled Creature Commandos, based on the comic book team of the same name,[85] and also worked on the HBO Max series Waller, a spin-off of Peacemaker focusing on the character of Amanda Waller, with Christal Henry writing and Viola Davis reprising her role from previous DCEU projects.[86][87] Gunn is also involved in multiple other DC projects, including producing Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow due for release in 2026.[88][89]
Personal life
Gunn married actress Jenna Fischer on October 7, 2000.[8] After seven years of marriage, Gunn and Fischer announced their separation in a joint statement on September 5, 2007,[90] divorcing in 2008.[91] The two remained friends. In 2010, Fischer persuaded Gunn to cast Rainn Wilson, her co-star on The Office, in Gunn's film Super.[23]
Gunn has been in a relationship with actress Jennifer Holland since 2015.[92] In February 2022, Holland and Gunn became engaged,[93] and were married at the end of September 2022.[94]
He has a dog named Ozu, adopted from a shelter in 2022. Gunn has regularly shared photos of the dog and promoted #AdoptDontShop.[95] For that reason as well as his CGI work on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, PETA declared Gunn to be their 2023 Person of the Year.[96]
Gunn was raised in a Catholic family and has mentioned how prayer continues to play an important role in his life,[97] but has also said that he is, "in some ways, anti-religion".[98]
^Vary, Adam B. (May 3, 2017). "Marvel's Dark And Twisted Guardian". BuzzFeed News. BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on June 27, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2024. [James Gunn] was the oldest of six siblings — five boys, one girl — all born roughly a year apart starting in 1970.
^ 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.
^Lovece, 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 8, 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.'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.
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 – Movie 43 (2013)