Who is James Gunn, besides the director of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy

Director James Gunn with his friend Mikayla Hoover

For the last few weeks, I’ve been following Guardians of The Galaxy Director @jamesgunn on Twitter and as well as on Facebook. It’s been one series after another of great posts, behind the scenes photos, and a rare glimpse as a Director rises to whatever level super stars achieve in Hollywood. Yes, Guardians of the Galaxy is that good.

In an early profile FilmJournal interviewed Gunn about what it was like as he was competing for the director’s chair

“The more I talked about it, the more excited I got. I saw the opportunity to do the exact movie I’d always wanted to do and never thought I’d have the chance—a space opera. As we talked, I could see visually what I would do with the movie, like bringing back some of the colorful palettes of sci-fi movies like Forbidden Planet and Fantastic Voyage. So I threw my hat in the ring. At first it was me against five other directors; then it was me against three other directors; then it was me against one other director; and then it was just me.”

and on the challenges of creating a whole corner of the galaxy from the ground up

“On a normal movie, you’d set a scene in a kitchen and then go to the production designer and he’d say, ‘We can use this toaster or this toaster or this toaster.’ In this movie, if the characters are going to have toast, you’ve got to figure out how the process works. Are there toasters? Are they in the wall? You’re really creating everything from the ground up and I felt like I had a lot of freedom to create the universe I wanted.”

It really is a great interview, read the whole thing.

Another recent profile on Gunn was in the Los Angeles Times. Gunn talks about more about how much he’s enjoyed working on the project

“I can’t believe they let me do all this stuff,” Gunn said in mid-July on Disney’s Burbank lot. “It’s really sinking in for the first time. For the past two years, all I’ve been doing is driving forward, making this movie. Now I’m done and I’m standing outside of it, and I’m going, ‘How did you guys let me get away with all that?’”

and explains why the movie was in such good hands

“The whole thing hit me, and I felt like not only was it the movie that I wanted to do and have wanted to do my entire life but it was a movie that I felt — and this is the arrogant part — needed me, otherwise it could become a travesty,” he said. “I didn’t feel that there was anybody who loves Marvel Comics and raccoons and space operas as much as I do.”

You may also enjoy SuperHeroHype‘s more fanboi interview with Gunn.

Critical feedback and word on the street from fans who have seen it, say Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy is the best Marvel film yet. I’ve seen it and agree. In fact, they’ve already announced a sequel to the movie. Are you a fan of the space opera? Guardians of the Galaxy might just win you over.