Told NYTimes in August 2011 that the horror film with the most profound impact on him when he was young was Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), because the most frightening aspect of all was that it moved him to relate to, or empathize, with the killer.
James Gunn is an American filmmaker, actor, musician, and author. He is the writer and director of the Guardians of the Galaxy films, as well as the horror films Slither (2006) and Super (2010), and the web series James Gunn’s PG-Porn (2008–09). He has also written and directed episodes of the TV series Angel (2001) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997).
Gunn was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on August 5, 1966, the son of Leota and James Francis Gunn. His father worked as a police officer and later as a private investigator, while his mother was a homemaker. He has two older sisters, Beth and Barbara. Gunn was raised in a Catholic household and attended Catholic schools. He has said that his parents were “very strict” and that he was “not allowed to watch movies growing up.”
Gunn began his career as a screenwriter in the mid-1990s. He wrote the scripts for Tromeo and Juliet (1996), The Specials (2000), and Scooby-Doo (2002). He made his directorial debut with the horror film Slither (2006), which he also wrote. Gunn followed up with the superhero comedy Super (2010), which he also wrote and produced.
In 2012, Gunn was hired by Marvel Studios to write and direct Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $773 million worldwide. Gunn wrote and directed its sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), which grossed over $863 million worldwide.
In March 2018, Gunn was fired by Disney from directing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after old offensive tweets of his resurfaced. However, in July 2018, it was announced that Gunn had been rehired by Disney to write and direct the third film.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CjN6npvg_9b/
Gunn has been married twice. His first marriage was to actress Jenna Fischer, with whom he has two children. His second marriage is to actress Anna Faris, with whom he has one child.
Gunn has an estimated net worth of $100 million. He has earned millions from his work as a director, writer, and producer.
General Info
Full Name
James Gunn
Date Of Birth
August 5, 1970
Height
1.82 m
Profession
Screenwriter, Television producer, Musician, Cartoonist, Film producer, Film director, Novelist, Actor, Television Director
Education
St. Louis University High School, Saint Louis University, Columbia University
Nationality
American
Family
Spouse
Jenna Fischer
Parents
James F. Gunn
Siblings
Sean Gunn, Matt Gunn, Brian Gunn, Patrick Gunn, Beth Gunn
Accomplishments
Awards
Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
Nominations
Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
Movies
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, The Belko Experiment, Guardians of the Galaxy, Movie 43, Super, Slither, LolliLove, Tales from the Crapper, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Dawn of the Dead, Melvin Goes to Dinner, The Ghouls, Scooby-Doo, The Specials, Tromeo and Juliet, Ugly Nights, Doggie Tails
I saw Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) in a theater when it first came out, and it was so gritty and dark I felt sick to my stomach for a couple of days afterwards - like the evil of it stuck to my soul. Part of what was so frightening was Rooker, Michael's incredible performance. We normally distance ourselves from villains, but I almost felt for him as Henry. The last thing you want to do is identify with a serial killer. That's scarier than anything jumping out of the corner of a film frame.
2
If life gives you lemons, make lemonade, if life gives you assholes, make a Troma movie.
3
On Scooby-Doo: "With all the difficulties plaguing the world over the past year, isn't it about time we had a hero who tells kids it's okay to be afraid?" "Scooby's the greatest cartoon character ever. He isn't cute like Mickey, or smart like Bugs, or fearless like Woody and Buzz -- he's a talking dog who's more human than I am. It's his humanity and imperfections that make him special."
4
Money doesn't buy happiness, but it does buy happier.
Facts
#
Fact
1
Graduated from Saint Louis University High (SLUH) college preparatory school in St. Louis, MO.
2
Owns a hand-painted movie poster, directly sourced from Ghana, for Slither (2006).
3
Told NYTimes in August 2011 that the horror film with the most profound impact on him when he was young was Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), because the most frightening aspect of all was that it moved him to relate to, or empathize, with the killer.
The first person in cinema history to write back-to-back #1 for the weekend box office hits, with Dawn of the Dead (2004) on 19 March 2004 and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004) on 26 March 2004.
Earned an MFA from Columbia University in New York.
11
Interviewed for summer job filing papers at Troma Films, and was instead hired to write the screenplay for Tromeo and Juliet (1996) (and was paid $150 dollars to do so).
Has worked as a hospital orderly, bar musician, and quarry worker.
16
Is an avid comic book reader.
17
Took five years to write his first novel, "The Toy Collector."
18
The character "Gunn" on the TV series Angel (1999) was named such after Angel (1999) creator Joss Whedon worked with both James and his brother Sean Gunn.
