James Gunn | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

Highest Rated: 94% The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)

Lowest Rated: 5% Movie 43 (2013)

Birthday: Aug 5, 1966

Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Screenwriter and director James Gunn applied his fondness for the comic book idiom -- as well as a healthy dash of irreverent humor -- to a host of popular genre films, including "Scooby-Doo" (2002), a remake of George A. Romero's "Dawn of the Dead" (2004), and the Marvel Cinematic Universe bockbuster "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014). Born in St. Louis, Missouri on August 5, 1970, Gunn was raised in a large Irish Catholic family in the suburb of Manchester. As a child, he struggled to connect with his peers, but found solace in a huge comic book collection purchased for him by his father. From there, he began experimenting with Super 8 movies, which allowed him to experiment with early efforts in the horror genre. He briefly attended college but dropped out to play in a rock band. He also briefly supported himself as a hospital orderly in Tucson, Arizona while also writing and drawing comic strips for underground publications. Gunn completed his bachelor's degree at St. Louis University and headed for New York, where he received an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University. While there, he penned his first novel, The Toy Collector (1999), while also exploring the world of low-budget filmmaking with the New York-based exploitation production company Troma Entertainment. Initially hired as an intern, Gunn was quickly promoted to write and co-direct one of the company's most substantial hits, the raunchy spoof "Tromeo and Juliet" (1996). In 2000, he relocated to Los Angeles to write and produce "The Specials" (2000), a superhero comedy with Rob Lowe, Thomas Haden Church and Judy Greer that became a minor cult hit on home video. Gunn scored his first major hit with the script for a live-action film version of "Scooby-Doo" (2002), starring Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Linda Cardellini, and Matthew Lillard as the Mystery Machine team. This surprise hit was soon followed by a sequel, "Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed" (2004) and the script for director Zach Snyder's remake of "Dawn of the Dead" (2004). The success of both films made Gunn the first screenwriter to land two projects at the top of the box office in consecutive weeks. Gunn made his feature directorial debut with "Slither" (2006), a wry science fiction comedy that received critical acclaim but only modest box office returns. He then ventured into television, directing several pilots for Xbox Live as well as a short-form web series called "PG Porn" (2008-09) which parodied adult film tropes. After helming the dark superhero comedy "Super" (2009), Gunn scored his first major hit as director and writer with "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014) a tongue-in-cheek live action take on a lesser-known title from the Marvel Comics stable starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel. The film scored big numbers at the box office, as well as near-unanimous critical praise for Gunn's reverential but tongue-in-cheek take on comic book space operas. The sequel, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (2017) was also a hit. In the midst of planning for the third film in the series, an online alt-right conspiracy theorist named Michael Cernovich, upset at Gunn's increasingly vocal criticism of Donald Trump, resurfaced a number of Gunn's old tweets from 2009 that included deliberately shocking and vulgar jokes about pedophilia and other taboos. In the ensuing uproar, Gunn was fired from directing "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" and relieved of his other duties in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, unlike in many other cases of Hollywood personalities losing jobs because of social media protests, there was a backlash against Disney/Marvel's quick decision, with many supporters pointing out that Cernovich himself had tweeted in support of raping women in the past. On July 30, 2018, a statement in support of Gunn was signed by the "Guardians of the Galaxy" cast, including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel and Dave Bautista.

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94% 90% Avengers: Endgame Watchlist 94% 81% The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special Watchlist 92% 92% Guardians of the Galaxy Watchlist 90% 82% The Suicide Squad Watchlist 87% 63% Slither Watchlist 85% 92% Avengers: Infinity War Watchlist 85% 87% Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Watchlist 82% 94% Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Watchlist 80% 76% Terror Firmer Watchlist 77% 77% Dawn of the Dead Watchlist

Photos

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James Gunn

James Gunn SLITHER, Writer/Director James Gunn, Cinematographer Greg Middleton, on set, 2006, (c) Universal LOLLILOVE, Jenna Fischer, James Gunn, 2006, ©Troma Films BRIGHTBURN, CENTER: PRODUCER JAMES GUNN, ON-SET, 2019. PH: BORIS MARTIN/© SCREEN GEMS BRIGHTBURN, CENTER: DIRECTOR DAVID YAROVESKY; LEFT: PRODUCER JAMES GUNN, ON-SET, 2019. PH: BORIS MARTIN/© SCREEN GEMS BRIGHTBURN, PRODUCER JAMES GUNN, ON-SET, 2019. PH: BORIS MARTIN/© SCREEN GEMS After Paradise, James Gunn (L), Jason Biggs (R), 'Episode 103', Season 1, Ep. #3, 08/17/2015, ©ABC After Paradise, James Gunn, 'Episode 103', Season 1, Ep. #3, 08/17/2015, ©ABC After Paradise, James Gunn (L), Jason Biggs (R), 'Episode 103', Season 1, Ep. #3, 08/17/2015, ©ABC After Paradise, James Gunn (L), Jason Biggs (R), 'Episode 103', Season 1, Ep. #3, 08/17/2015, ©ABC View more photos

Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow Producer - 2026
No Score Yet No Score Yet Superman Director,
Screenwriter
- 2025
82% 94% Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Director,
Screenwriter
$359.0M 2023
94% 81% The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special Director,
Screenwriter,
Executive Producer
- 2022
90% 82% The Suicide Squad Director,
Screenwriter
$55.8M 2021
57% 67% Brightburn Producer $17.3M 2019
94% 90% Avengers: Endgame Executive Producer $858.4M 2019
85% 92% Avengers: Infinity War Executive Producer $678.8M 2018
85% 87% Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Director,
Screenwriter
$389.8M 2017
55% 40% The Belko Experiment Screenwriter,
Producer
$10.2M 2016
92% 92% Guardians of the Galaxy Director,
Screenwriter
$333.7M 2014
5% 24% Movie 43 Director,
Screenwriter
$8.8M 2013
50% 56% Super Director,
Screenwriter
$322.2K 2010
No Score Yet No Score Yet Tromatized, Meet Lloyd Kaufman Unknown (Character) - 2009
87% 63% Slither Director,
Writer
$7.8M 2006
No Score Yet 52% Lollilove James (Character),
Executive Producer
- 2004
No Score Yet 29% Tales From the Crapper Self - 2004
22% 41% Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed Screenwriter $84.2M 2004
77% 77% Dawn of the Dead Screenwriter $58.9M 2004
No Score Yet 35% The Ghouls Unknown (Character) - 2003
32% 40% Scooby-Doo Screenwriter,
Writer
$153.3M 2002
50% 55% The Specials Minute Man/Tim Tilderbrook (Character),
Writer,
Co-Producer
$13.0K 2000
80% 76% Terror Firmer Writer $1.4K 1999
No Score Yet 61% Director,
Writer,
Executive Producer
- 1996
No Score Yet No Score Yet Because They're Young Screenwriter - 1960
No Score Yet 38% Over-Exposed Screenwriter - 1956
No Score Yet 83% Harriet Craig Screenwriter - 1950

TV

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Creature Commandos Executive Producer 2024
No Score Yet 61% Late Night With Seth Meyers Guest 2023
89% 76% I Am Groot Executive Producer 2022
93% 89% Peacemaker Executive Producer,
Director,
Writer
2022
No Score Yet 42% Jimmy Kimmel Live! Guest 2021
83% 85% James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction Guest 2018
No Score Yet 61% Bull Uniformed Officer (Guest Star) 2018
41% 61% Chelsea Guest 2017
No Score Yet No Score Yet Last Call With Carson Daly Guest 2017
No Score Yet 92% Con Man Raaker 2.0 (Guest Star) 2015
56% 78% Breaking In Himself (Guest Star) 2012
No Score Yet No Score Yet Scream Queens Unknown (Character),
Judge
2008 2010
No Score Yet No Score Yet Dr. Kildare Writer 1963
James Gunn | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

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