# The life and career of James Gunn: from Troma to DC Studios, every film in order

> Who is James Gunn? His life, every film he wrote or directed in order, from Slither and Guardians of the Galaxy to The Suicide Squad and Superman, and the DC Studios years.

Source: https://rankiew.app/blog/james-gunn-life-and-career
Published: 2026-11-11
Author: Rankiew
Tags: directors, james gunn, filmography, guardians of the galaxy, superman, dc studios

James Gunn is an American director, screenwriter and producer, born on August 5, 1966, in St. Louis, Missouri. He started in low-budget horror comedy at Troma, wrote the screenplays for *Scooby-Doo* and the *Dawn of the Dead* remake, directed *Slither* and *Super*, turned *Guardians of the Galaxy* into a global hit for Marvel, and from 2022 led DC Studios, where he directed *Superman* (2025).

This guide covers his life, his films in order, the 2018 firing and rehiring, his Marvel and DC years, and the questions people ask most about him. It is the full filmography with posters, so you can see where each film fits.

# James Gunn at a glance

- **Born:** August 5, 1966, in St. Louis, Missouri (he turned 60 in 2026).
- **Known for:** *Guardians of the Galaxy* (trilogy), *The Suicide Squad*, *Peacemaker*, *Superman*.
- **Started at:** Troma Entertainment, writing *Tromeo and Juliet* (1996).
- **Directed:** *Slither* (2006), *Super* (2010), three *Guardians* films, *The Suicide Squad* (2021) and *Superman* (2025).
- **Leadership role:** co-head of DC Studios with Peter Safran from 2022. Skydance announced on November 9, 2026 that the two step away on December 1, 2026.
- **Signature style:** misfit teams, dark humor, big emotion, practical effects and a soundtrack picked like a mixtape.
- **Family in the business:** his brother Sean Gunn plays Kraglin in the *Guardians* films, and his brother Brian Gunn co-wrote *Brightburn*.

# Early life: from Missouri to film school

Gunn grew up in a large Catholic family in the St. Louis area and was drawn to horror comics, monster movies and punk and rock music as a kid. He made homemade films with his brothers, and that DIY spirit never really left his work.

After studying at Saint Louis University, he went to Columbia University in New York, where he earned a master's degree in writing. Soon after, he began working with Troma, the independent studio known for outrageous, cheap and proudly weird movies. It was the perfect school for a director who would later learn how to make money, jokes and tears out of very strange ideas.

# The Troma years: where it started

## Tromeo and Juliet (1996)

::film[Tromeo and Juliet|1996]

Gunn co-wrote this wild punk version of Shakespeare for Troma, directed by Lloyd Kaufman. It was his first big credit and already had what would become his trademark: gore, jokes and a surprising amount of heart.

## The Specials (2000)

::film[The Specials|2000]

A comedy about a not-very-glamorous team of superheroes, written by Gunn. Years before *Guardians*, he was already in love with misfit teams of heroes.

# The screenwriter years: Scooby-Doo and Dawn of the Dead

## Scooby-Doo (2002)

::film[Scooby-Doo|2002]

Gunn wrote the screenplay for this live-action family hit and its sequel, *Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed* (2004). It gave him his first taste of the Hollywood box office.

## Dawn of the Dead (2004)

::film[Dawn of the Dead|2004]

Gunn wrote this remake of George A. Romero's classic, directed by Zack Snyder in his feature debut. The film was praised for its fast, frightening opening and for proving that Gunn could write real horror.

# Director: Slither and Super

## Slither (2006)

::film[Slither|2006]

Gunn's first film as a director is a gooey alien-parasite horror comedy starring Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks and Michael Rooker. It was not a box-office hit, but it became a cult favorite and showed his gift for mixing laughs and scares.

## Super (2010)

::film[Super|2010]

Rainn Wilson plays an ordinary man who decides to become a superhero with a wrench, and Elliot Page plays his sidekick. It is dark, violent and funny, and many fans see it as the missing link between Troma and Marvel.

# The Marvel years: Guardians of the Galaxy

## Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

::film[Guardians of the Galaxy|2014]

This was the big bet. Marvel handed one of its least known comics to the director of *Slither* and *Super*, and he delivered a space adventure with a talking raccoon, a walking tree, a 1970s soundtrack and a lot of heart. It earned over 700 million dollars worldwide and Oscar nominations for visual effects and for makeup and hairstyling.

## Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

::film[Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2|2017]

A bigger, more emotional sequel about found family and difficult fathers, with Kurt Russell as Ego. Its opening dance with baby Groot became one of the most remembered scenes of the franchise.

## Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

::film[Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3|2023]

The closing chapter of the trilogy is the origin story of Rocket. It was praised for its emotion and was nominated for the Oscar for visual effects. Gunn also wrote *The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special* (2022) for Disney+.

# The 2018 firing and the return

In July 2018, Disney cut ties with Gunn after old social media jokes resurfaced online. Gunn apologized, and the cast of *Guardians* publicly supported him. In March 2019, Disney reinstated him to finish the trilogy.

In the meantime, Warner Bros. hired him in 2018 to make a standalone film with the Suicide Squad characters, which is how he arrived at DC.

# The DC years: from The Suicide Squad to Superman

## The Suicide Squad (2021)

::film[The Suicide Squad|2021]

Gunn's first DC film is a violent and funny team-up with Idris Elba, John Cena, Margot Robbie, Daniela Melchior and a talking shark voiced by Sylvester Stallone. It was well received and led to the series *Peacemaker* (2022), with John Cena, and the animated series *Creature Commandos*.

## Superman (2025)

::film[Superman|2025]

In 2022, Gunn and Peter Safran were named to lead DC Studios. The first big film of the new DC universe is Gunn's *Superman*, with David Corenswet in the cape, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. It was released in July 2025 and passed 600 million dollars at the box office.

## Clayface (2026)

::film[Clayface|2026]

A horror-flavored DC film from the slate that Gunn and Safran built. Running a studio meant overseeing many projects, so Gunn did not direct all of them.

## Man of Tomorrow

The Superman sequel is scheduled for July 9, 2027. Gunn and Peter Safran step away from running DC Studios on December 1, 2026, as Skydance announced, and Gunn says he is returning to "pure filmmaking". You can read the full story in our post on [Gunn and Safran leaving DC Studios](/blog/james-gunn-peter-safran-leave-dc-studios-jeremy-latcham).

# James Gunn movies in order

1. **Tromeo and Juliet** (1996), co-writer
2. **The Specials** (2000), writer
3. **Scooby-Doo** (2002) and **Scooby-Doo 2** (2004), writer
4. **Dawn of the Dead** (2004), writer
5. **Slither** (2006), writer and director
6. **Super** (2010), writer and director
7. **Guardians of the Galaxy** (2014), director and co-writer
8. **Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2** (2017), writer and director
9. **The Suicide Squad** (2021), writer and director
10. **Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3** (2023), writer and director
11. **Superman** (2025), writer and director

# What makes a James Gunn movie?

- **Misfit teams.** Raccoons, villains, vigilantes and failed superheroes who learn to depend on each other.
- **Humor next to pain.** A joke is often followed by a very emotional scene.
- **A soundtrack with a story.** The *Awesome Mix* tapes of the *Guardians* films are almost characters.
- **Practical effects and creatures.** A love of monsters from his childhood.
- **A repeat cast.** Nathan Fillion, Michael Rooker, his brother Sean Gunn and many others show up again and again.

# Frequently asked questions about James Gunn

## Who is James Gunn?

James Gunn is an American director, screenwriter and producer, born August 5, 1966. He is best known for the *Guardians of the Galaxy* trilogy, *The Suicide Squad* and *Superman* (2025), and for co-leading DC Studios with Peter Safran from 2022.

## How old is James Gunn?

James Gunn was born on August 5, 1966, so he is 60 years old in November 2026.

## What movies has James Gunn directed?

Gunn directed *Slither* (2006), *Super* (2010), *Guardians of the Galaxy* (2014), *Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2* (2017), *The Suicide Squad* (2021), *Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3* (2023) and *Superman* (2025).

## What is James Gunn's best movie?

There is no single answer, but most critics and fans point to *Guardians of the Galaxy*, *Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3* and *Superman*. Cult fans often prefer *Super* and *Slither*. Rate them yourself on Rankiew to build your own ranking.

## Why was James Gunn fired from Marvel?

In July 2018, Disney cut ties with Gunn after old social media jokes resurfaced online. He apologized, the cast of *Guardians* supported him, and Disney reinstated him in March 2019 to direct *Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3*.

## Did James Gunn write Scooby-Doo?

Yes. Gunn wrote the screenplays for *Scooby-Doo* (2002) and *Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed* (2004). He also wrote the 2004 remake of *Dawn of the Dead*.

## Who is James Gunn's brother?

James Gunn's brother Sean Gunn is an actor who plays Kraglin in the *Guardians* films and appears in many of James's projects. Another brother, Brian Gunn, co-wrote *Brightburn* (2019).

## Is James Gunn still in charge of DC?

Skydance announced on November 9, 2026 that Gunn and Peter Safran will step away from running DC Studios on December 1, 2026, with Jeremy Latcham taking over. Gunn said he and Safran are not done with DC.

## What order should I watch James Gunn movies in?

For a first watch, start with *Guardians of the Galaxy* (2014), then *Vol. 2*, *Vol. 3* and *The Suicide Squad*, then *Superman* (2025). If you like it darker, add *Slither* and *Super*.

## Where can I watch James Gunn movies?

Availability changes by country and over time. On Rankiew you can check where each film is streaming in your country and add it to your lists.

# Rate every James Gunn movie

Which one is your favorite? On Rankiew you can rate every film, write reviews and build your own list of James Gunn movies, from *Slither* to *Superman*.

[Create your free Rankiew account](/signup?lang=en)

*Sources: official studio releases, filmographies and public statements of James Gunn and Skydance.*