With every insider source, industry bigwig and nerdy blog suggesting that James Gunn is in the lasergun-blasting sights to direct Marvel Studio’s next mega-movie franchise ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, it’s a fair presumption that many of you are questioning who he even is.
Ignore the erroneous and credibility-evaporating double whammy on his cinematic CV though (Scooby-Doo and – zoinks! – Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed), and there are more than enough reasons to start getting excited.
Remember – Kenneth Branagh, Jon Favreau and even Joss Whedon were controversial choices when they were picked. And look how nerdgasmically well they turned out.
For a film that could well prove the edgiest, weirdest and most fun Marvel movie adventure yet, we can’t think of anyone better…..
The Guardians of the Galaxy have faced Blackbolt, the Phalanx, Blastaar and even Thanos (the purple scrotum-chinned one from The Avengers post-credits cameo), but their biggest challenge will be winning over the popcorn-munching masses.
So rather than spend time focusing on broadening their appeal, choosing a fanboy who’s edged into the mainstream to lead the charge could cover all the bases.
Slither and Dawn of the Dead (which he directed and wrote respectively) tick both ‘black comedy’ and ‘fantastical horror’ boxes, Tromeo and Juliet and Lollipop Chainsaw show he knows a thing or two about subject matter that’s weirdly, wonderfully nuts, and The Specials and Super prove his affection for (and ability to subtly mock) the superhero/comic genre.
Add to that the fact that he’s long-time friends with Marvel uber-mascot Joss Whedon (one of Gunn’s first ever jobs was co-writing a TV pilot for Whedon), and a long running, personal love affair with comic books, and it’s fair to say that he’s one of the few directors working today who can truly ‘get’ a tale involving psychic pooches, monosyllabic talking trees, killer anthropomorphic raccoons, and space-spanning tales of life, death and everything in between.
With The Avengers now sitting proudly above every Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean as the third biggest movie ever made, Marvel’s in the position to choose a cast of their dreams.
But the Guardians of the Galaxy have never been a team comprised of flashy A-Listers – their inherent appeal comes from the fact that while they may have universe-imploding powers, even a fraction of the die-hardiest comics fans could name them all without a quick flick through their Marvel Encyclopedia.
Seeing a Jolie/Pitt/Depp amidst the line-up would not only be distracting, it’d miss the whole point of the team (though we wouldn’t mind seeing any of these picks in the Rocket Raccoon role).
Thankfully, Gunn has experience assembling indie stars with just the level of star power to entertain the fanboys and dazzle the newbies. From Ellen Page, Kevin Bacon, and Rainn Wilson in Super, to Elizabeth Banks and Nathan Fillion in Slither, Gunn’s proven he knows how to straddle that line.
And while we know Nathan Fillion gets his name thrown into the fanboy hat at every new movie announcement (*internal monologue override* – BECAUSE HE’S AWESOME), we genuinely can’t think of anyone better for Star-Lord – the sarcastic, witty and eternally out-of-his-depth everyman who’s the heart of the team.
Throw in prior form with Gunn in Slither and Super, and the aforementioned relationship with Fillion-manwife Joss Whedon, and this is one time where we’re actively hoping for a bit of nerdy nepotism.
Not since the Rom-Zom-Com has a movie so potentially screwed with Netflix’s admin department. Part sci-fi, part space-opera, part-drama, part-horror and part-comedy, the latest Guardians of the Galaxy comic incarnation is a masterclass in deftly balanced storytelling – and the film looks to be following suit.
The concept art shows a version of the modern intergalactic gang ready to rock, and one guaranteed to hit some kaleidoscopic story beats. There’s Drax the Destroyer (a very serious and ruthlessly vicious warrior), Groot (an inadvertently comedic tree giant), Gamora (‘as deadly as she is sexy’ alien killer), Rocket Raccoon (Han Solo meets an Ewok by way of an enormous spacegun), and Star-Lord (a heroic albeit flawed, superpower-imbued human).
Not only will the right director have to juggle all those wildly differing personality types and group dynamics, but they’ll have to introduce Marvel’s entire galactic universe, along with a whole cast of practically unknown characters – and keep it relatable to audiences throughout.
Gunn seems perfect, having played with hyper-violence, black comedy and satirical superheroing in Super, and out-of-this-world ridiculousness and surprisingly affecting character drama in Slither and Dawn of the Dead.
Whether you’re a fan of his work or not, it’s hard to deny Gunn is one to put his balls on the line in the name of a creative punt.
While many loved Super for its mad-as-a-bag-of-cats protagonist, and po-faced poke at Hollywood’s genre darling, there were just as many who weren’t too keen on a superhero flick boasting a mentally ill hero who brains perps into comas with a pipe wrench, or a sexually deranged sidekick who rapes her costumed mentor.
It’s also a brave (some would say insane) man who steps up to remake one of the most beloved, iconic horror movies of all time, and while 2004’s Dawn of the Dead wasn’t perfect, it was far, far better than any could have expected.
And Lollipop Chainsaw? We can’t see Shigeru Miyamoto following up his 252nd Mario with a game about a zombie-murdering, chainsaw-wielding, erotically suggestive cheerleader anytime soon.
While the quality and success of his work has been variable, there’s been one constant – an unfailing drive to embrace nutso, creative risks in their gloriously deranged entirety.
And when you’re talking about one of Marvel’s most surreal teams ever, you need someone who’s as uncompromising as they are a little crazy.
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