James Gunn Shares A+ Guardians Of The Galaxy Throwback For Brother Sean’s Birthday

Kraglinin Guardians 2

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While the Marvel Cinematic Universe is full of exciting properties, James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy remains one of the most beloved. The visionary filmmaker made a group of unknown heroes into fan favorites with his 2014 original movie. And Gunn recently shared a behind the scenes throwback from the set to celebrate the birthday of his brother Sean.

Sean Gunn has a unique but vital role in the MCU. In addition to his onscreen Kraglin, he also plays the role of Rocket on set, acting opposite the cast ahead of CGI and Bradley Cooper’s voice performance. As such there are some very funny photos of Sean Gunn when filming, and his brother/collaborator James shared one such image for his birthday. You can check it out below.

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I mean, how can you not love that set photo? While moviegoing audiences get to see the finished product when watching a Guardians of the Galaxy movie in theaters, there’s a ton of moving parts that go into each Marvel installment. This includes Sean Gunn doing a ton of work kneeling in order to be Rocket’s height.

The above image comes to us from James Gunn’s personal Instagram account, and also includes a series of other photos with his brother Sean throughout the years. It’s a sweet glimpse into their relationship, and shows how much fun they’ve had with each other. It’s no wonder that James continues to utilize Sean’s on the big screen.

Marvel fans can re-watch Sean and James Gunn’s work in the MCU on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

Photos of Sean Gunn working on Guardians of the Galaxy are always interesting, particularly when filming as Rocket Raccoon. Gunn has been in all sorts of funny positions as a result of the character’s height which is in juxtaposition to his 6 foot frame. Other notable set photos show him being nuzzled into Thor’s belly in Avengers: Endgame.

James Gunn’s post for his brother’s birthday highlights how many times the pair have worked with each other over the years. Sean has appeared in a number of his brother’s films outside of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, including Super, The Belko Experiment, and Tromeo and Juliet.

That collaborative spirit will continue as James Gunn pivots his comic book sensibilities to DC for The Suicde Squad. The R-rated blockbuster once again saw Sean Gunn doing motion capture work, bringing the animated villain Weasel to life in the process. We’ll just have to see how that character factors into the story, and if it manages to make it out alive.

Of course, Marvel fans also can’t wait to catch up with Kraglin in Guardians 3 or the Holiday Special. The character was noticeably missing from Avengers: Endgame’s final battle, despite Sean Gunn filming as his signature character. Hopefully he’s managed to learn how to use Yondu’s arrow by now.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will hit theaters May 5th, 2023. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.