The film "The Suicide Squad" is released on August 5th. James Gunn sits in the director's chair. Read about Gunn's creative journey in our article.

James Gunn has come a long way in conquering Hollywood. He started as a screenwriter, then moved on to controversial comedy work, and then came Guardians of the Galaxy. It seemed like his lucky break. But even then, things went wrong.

Career Beginnings

James Gunn was born in St. Louis, Missouri, into a large family. Together with his brothers, he attended a private Catholic school, and later independently studied psychology at Saint Louis University and film theory at Columbia University.

James Gunn began his career working at Troma Entertainment, and his first project was the film "Tromeo and Juliet". The audience was presented with a modern reimagining of Shakespeare's famous work, filled with crude jokes, rock and roll, and wild parties. In their signature style, Troma Studio seemed to want to poke fun at the film adaptation starring Leonardo DiCaprio released that same year.

After that came various projects as a screenwriter, including the "Scooby-Doo" duology and "Dawn of the Dead". Gunn also tried his hand at directing. This resulted in "PG Porn", "Super", and the trash comedy "Movie 43". During this period, Gunn earned the reputation of being a freak in the film world.

Guardians of the Galaxy

In 2010, the first rumors emerged that James Gunn would direct a new film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In 2014, "Guardians of the Galaxy" hit screens. The story of a space traveler and his team won the hearts of not only fans but was also warmly received by critics. From that point on, James Gunn became an integral part of the Guardians team. He directed the second and third parts, as well as the post-credits scene in "Thor: The Dark World". It was his script that the Guardians spoke from in "Avengers: Infinity War". He can even be seen in the duology—a maskless Sakaaran in the first part, and Baby Groot dances to his movements in the second part.

Echoes of the Past

In 2019, news broke about Gunn's dismissal from the director's chair of the third Guardians film. At that moment, work on the script had just finished. This was all related to Gunn's tweets from 2008-2012. The firing did not interrupt James's career. On the contrary, he became the director and screenwriter of the new "The Suicide Squad", a DC comics adaptation.

Warner Bros. gave Gunn complete creative freedom in making the film. According to Gunn, he hadn't had this much fun making a film in a long time. According to critics who have already seen the film, it is precisely this freedom that works in the film's favor. The result is a project that is completely unlike a classic superhero movie.

Audiences will not be presented with a sequel to the 2016 film. Viewers will once again meet Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. The cast is joined by Sylvester Stallone, Peter Capaldi, and Idris Elba.

Marvel Studios also settled things amicably—the director was given a second chance. Viewers will see the third part in 2023 and a holiday special of the Guardians in 2022. For Gunn, this is an opportunity to logically conclude the trilogy and close all character arcs, especially the story of Rocket Raccoon, with whom the director identifies himself.

"The Suicide Squad" is in theaters from August 5th, on James Gunn's 55th birthday.

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