Sean Gunn talks about James Gunn’s career problems: ‘He thought his career was over’

James Gunn has been very influential in the world of superhero films thanks to his work on Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

Known for his ability to blend humor, heart, and action, Gunn has made some great and memorable comic book films that fans love.

However, his rise in Hollywood almost came to a halt when he was fired Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The story of how Gunn went from being ousted from Marvel to becoming co-head of DC Studios is a pretty crazy story.

Sean GunnJames’ brother and frequent collaborator recently reflected on this pivotal moment during an interview with CinemaBlend.

As you can imagine, the emotional toll of the firing was heavy on Gunn and those closest to him. Sean shared:

“It was really devastating for me, personally. But I was even more worried about my brother who I know for a moment thought his career was over. What he was going through, I know, was incredibly difficult.

Despite the turmoil, the industry quickly took notice of Gunn’s talent. As Sean explained, Warner Bros. saw an opportunity in Gunn’s plight. He said:

“My understanding is that Warner Bros. contacted him pretty quickly and said, ‘We want you to come do something here.’”

That “something” turned into a dream opportunity… co-running DC Studios with the producer Pietro Safran. Together, Gunn and Safran laid the foundation for a reinvented DC Universe, with Gunn leading the creative vision and Safran managing the business strategy.

The results are already promising, with projects such as Commando of creatures and the first Superman trailer that aroused enormous interest among fans and critics.

But before taking the reins of DC, Gunn had to prove himself. Warner Bros. gave him the chance to make The suicide squadwhich was a surprising decision given the lukewarm reception of the first Suicide squad movie.

Gunn’s approach was direct but firm, as Sean recounted:

“They may have had their own ideas like, ‘We can tell you what we’d most like you to do.’ And he goes, ‘Well, I’ll just tell you what I’d like to do, which is… my first choice would be Suicide squadbut I know you just did a Suicide squad movie. “So maybe you don’t want me to.”

And they said, ‘If you want to do another one, let’s just do it.’”

The bet paid off. The suicide squad was a critical and commercial success, anchoring Gunn’s place in the DC fold. His work on the film led to the Peacemaker spin-off series and paved the way for his eventual return to Marvel to complete his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy.

As Sean pointed out: “People who work in the film industry recognize talent and know how not to miss an opportunity.”

James previously spoke about his experience, saying:

“For a moment it was like, ‘Holy crap. I’ve worked my whole life to be loved by all these people, by the world, so I can feel good about myself.

And everything I worked for is gone. At that point I thought I would have to sell my house and move, that my career was completely over. And for a brief moment it was.

He went on to talk about when he began to see the light of the love he received from his family and friends:

“Then I started trying to take care of myself, to do my best. But the most surprising thing for me was, in that moment of lowness, when I couldn’t help anyone, when people came to me and shown the greatest love.

“People like you, especially my future wife, Jen [Holland]my family, my mum and dad. You know, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, all the Guardians. Zoe [Saldana] come and prepare dinner for me. Sylvester Stallone. The amount of people who showed me love at a time when I was completely weak.”

Gunn went on to explain that potentially losing his job proved to be the most liberating experience of his career. When he felt like he had lost everything, that’s when the people who loved him embraced him the most:

“It was just astounding to me, and I felt like for the first time in my life I felt loved. And so that thing that I had been looking for my whole life, to feel loved by something outside of myself, to make myself feel well, I couldn’t experience it until I let go of my desperation to receive it. That’s when I felt really good.”

The fact that Gunn was able to recover from what he went through is a crazy story considering how many other people were being written off at the time. Gunn hit industry bottom and didn’t think he would recover and now he’s in a position where he can shape the future of the DC Universe however he wants.