I’ll be honest – I have never seen a movie, or not seen a movie because of the director. In fact, until we started attending comic conventions and movie panels, I probably couldn’t have named more than a couple of directors. But going to those conventions and panels has given me a real appreciation for the amount of passion and work that most directors bring to their movies.
The amount of time and work that a director has to put into a movie is staggering. Especially with a movie as big and beautiful as Guardians of the Galaxy. From concept art and musical score to costumes, sets, characters…I can’t even imagine. Then when the movie is finally finished, there are the premieres and the world tours, the endless interviews and the same questions asked over and over and over again. It would stand to reason that once that is all finally over, the director has to take a deep breath, maybe sleep for a week straight, and then happily wash their hands of their last movie and move on to the next project. Thrilled if they never have to answer another question about that last movie ever again.
Not James Gunn. He can’t stop talking about Guardians of the Galaxy – and I LOVE IT. Gunn is readily available on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (he and his cat Emily rarely miss a #Caturday post). Of course he has Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.0 (the sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy) so that makes it easier. But if you are already a follower, you know that Gunn hasn’t stopped talking Guardians, even though the movie has been out for over a year now.
We have been fortunate enough to meet James Gunn a few times
at the Hollywood premieres of Guardians of the Galaxy, Age of Ultron and Ant-Man. As you would expect he’s totally awesome in person and always generous enough to stop for photos and autographs. At the Guardians of the Galaxy premiere, he stopped to take a photo with my son Gavin, and that photo wound up being used in numerous online articles about the movie. Hey, why not use it for this article too?
On the one year anniversary of the permiere, Gunn posted a photo on Instagram that made me squeal like a little girl. My son grinned from ear to ear when he saw it. “Such a fun night” he said. “James was SO COOL.”
As a fan, James Gunn’s undying passion for his place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is amazing. He does Periscope sessions randomly from his home as if he’s just sitting around at home thinking “I think I’ll chat with the fans”. He then spends 15-30 minutes fielding questions. Who does that? If you are a Marvel fan and you enjoy interacting with the people who make the MCU tick, James Gunn is Marvel’s best follow.
While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.0 isn’t due out until May of 2017, Gunn’s next movie release is The Belko Experiment next year. You know what? I’m going to see that movie. Just because it’s a James Gunn film.