news culture ‘I had really rough years’: James Gunn had it before Guardians of the Galaxy
Before James Gunn became head of DC Studios and one of Marvel’s most well-known directors, he had a rocky start to his career. In an interview, the 56-year-old author talks about his youth, which was shaped by drugs and alcohol, before he made a name for himself in Hollywood.
A difficult start to your career
Today, James Gunn is a name familiar to all comic book fans. It must be said that over time the 56-year-old director has been responsible for adapting several superhero stories for both big and small screens. He rose to fame in the eyes of the general public with 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, which will propel his career forward. He will then return three years later with Guardians of the Galaxy 2, confirming his place in the Marvel stable. Besides names like the Russo brothers or Ryan Coogler, James Gunn is certainly one of the most well-known directors in the MCU. Nevertheless, Before the 56-year-old found recognition in Hollywood, he got off to a rocky start. In an interview with the daily newspaper El País he says:
When I was young I was addicted to alcohol and drugs. I’ve had crazy years I think for me it’s really about concentrating on the creative process and not letting money, power, attention, negativity distract me and concentrating on the creative process. If I succeed, everything goes very well. It can always be a struggle, mentally. But life is hard enough without me making it harder. -James Gunn
From Marvel to DC Studios
Coming back to James Gunn’s career, we have to remember that the filmmaker initially started working at Troma Entertainment after being taken under the wing of Lloyd Kaufman, the studio’s founder. But in reality He made a name for himself as a screenwriter since he wrote the screenplay for the first two Scooby-Doo movies in 2002 and 2006 before doing that for Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead (Man of Steel, Justice League, 300, Watchmen…). Amazingly, he also wrote the scenario for the game Lollipop Chainsaw, a totally hackneyed project by Japanese creator Suda 51.
He eventually made his mark as a director, working on the comic book horror film Silther in 2006 and the superhero film Super in 2010, which got him attention from Marvel. Should James Gunn then deliver good feature films with the two Guardians of the Galaxy, Disney will fire him for tweets that are perceived as insulting. Ultimately, He will be hired again to work on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, although the director has been looking at the script in the meantime. In 2021, he directed The Suicide Squad and then the Peacemaker series, leading to his taking over as DC Studios director some time later. Today, James Gunn is done with Marvel and is working on a new Superman movie, the outcome of which we can’t wait for in 2025.
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