James Gunn’s name is among the most successful superhero movie directors. He is solely responsible for the tremendous success of MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Other than being a director, he is also DC Studio’s co-CEO upholding the power to creative and casting decisions.
However, Gunn’s fame also brought in a lot of criticism. Most recently, the director was called a nepotist by a certain group of fans. Evidently, the director was accused of being a nepotist for casting the same talents when developing new movies or shows. The director/producer’s brother, Sean Gunn appeared in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. As per reports, Sean is also set to appear in multiple roles in the DCU. Further, his wife Jennifer Holland also appeared in DCU’s ARGUS operative Emilia Harcourt and MCU’s Administrator Kwol in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
In His Defence, James Gunn Called the Allegations Ridiculous
James Gunn, defending his casting choice called the allegations “ridiculous.” Speaking to OneMan, the director said that Sean Gunn has appeared in multiple television series and films before.
“It’s the most ridiculous thing in the world. My brother was in a TV show for seven years [‘Gilmore Girls’] making much more money than I was making those days. Me and my brother have been making movies since I was 11. Saying that he is not a person that I know inside-out and that he’s not the best actor I have worked with, it would be ridiculous,” the Guardians of the Galaxy director said.
The DC head’s brother portrayed the role of Kraglin in the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Sean also had a brief cameo in James Gunn’s directed The Suicide Squad. In the DC film, Sean’s brief cameo played the role of Calendar Man. He was also behind the motion capture performance for Weasel and voiced the character in the film.
Further, Gunn insisted on saying that it is important for him to work with people he knows personally. It is rather a part of his process, despite allegations, he likes to work with Steve Agee and Chris Pratt.
“They called me a nepotist because I worked with Steve Agee. He is a friend of mine of course, but he’s also the funniest guy I know. Chris Pratt is one of my best friends. He’s one of my groomsmen. It’s important for me to work with people that I know. The way that I can talk to them and we can communicate so openly, it’s part of the creative process. Anybody who makes movies will say this.“
Even earlier, Gunn stated that he prefers working with professional actors, especially those who he shares good working relationships. Stating the reason, the director said that this process saves him a lot of time because he does not have to repeatedly explain his writing and filmmaking style to the new actors.
James Gunn is Super Close With His Actors
It is no secret that Gunn values his actors. He has been close friends with his stars from both MCU and DCU. Even when then-Disney film chair Alan Horn fired Gunn from the franchise, his Guardians of the Galaxy stars pushed the studio to rehire the director. The studio removed Gunn after surfacing decade-old tweets that stirred controversy at the time.
In a photo shoot with his MCU actors at The Hollywood Reporter studio, the director recalled the moments and with teary eyes, said, “I just got teary because it was like, f**k, I loved all you guys so much and I just realized this journey we had been through together.”
The stars of the franchise also published an open letter with the demand to rehire Gunn to direct the remaining installments in the franchise. Zoe Saldana who played Gamora in the franchise, visited Gunn’s Malibu house with her husband and cooked for the director. On the last day of filming Volume 2 of the franchise, She said, “I thanked James for just his time and his patience and his guidance and his friendship.”
Saldana’s co-stars also went through a great deal fighting for Gunn and eventually the studio hired him back.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was released on 5 May and currently running in theatre.
Source: The Direct.
