James Gunn Responds To Troll Who Tried To Take Shot At Him For Sharing Guardians Vol. 3 Pic Amid DC Studios Work

James Gunn with Zoe Saldana and Chris Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

It’s no secret that superhero movies are everywhere. With studios competing for box office supremacy with various shared universes, tons of talent have worked on more than one of these franchises. Perhaps there’s no better example than filmmaker James Gunn, who directed the Guardians of the Galaxy for MCU, before helming The Suicide Squad for DC and later becoming the new co-CEO of the DC Universe. And the director/writer/producer recently responded to a troll who tried to take a shot at home for sharing Guardians 3 pic amid DC studios work. As you might have guessed, he got the final word.

Gunn broke the internet when it was revealed that he was the new leadership behind DC, with he and Peter Safran making sweeping changes to finally create a cohesive shared universe, including bold choices like parting ways with Henry Cavill as Superman. While all eyes are on what he’ll be bringing to the DCU, we’re less than a month away from the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is one of the most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movies heading to theaters. The director behind the franchise recently shared a fun image from the set on his personal Instagram, but ended up getting into a debate with one fan in the comments section. You can check out the post in question below:

How cute is that? James Gunn has been open about his close relationship to the Guardians cast, especially when he was temporarily fired from the franchise. And the actors actually surprised him by wearing shirts with his face on it while filming the upcoming threequel. Although not everyone was happy about him sharing this fun image as we get closer to the movie’s release.

One fan took to the comments section to criticize Gunn for continuing to hype up Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, especially considering his new job at DC. There’s been a long-running rivalry between DC and Marvel (which people like Jared Leto think is actually healthy), and some folks seemingly want the filmmaker to take sides. They posted:

The worst business that DC could do was to hire someone who advertises the competition... unbelievable, now can you imagine what their movies are going to be like??? I think it's a disaster

Well, they certainly didn’t mince words. This person went so far as to call James Gunn’s continued support for all things Guardians as a “disaster” for the DCU. While fans patiently await more information about the upcoming DC movies, we'll first be treated to one more adventure from the cosmic team of heroes. 

The Peacemaker director is known for being super active on social media, often fielding questions or shutting down rumors about superhero characters like Harley Quinn. So he unsurprisingly responded to the criticism about promoting Guardians 3 in the mist of retooling the DCU. As he put it,

The last thing DC would want is someone who would spend the last 12 years of his life creating a series of films, and then turn his back on the last movie he created and poured his heart and souls into, as well as his collaborators and the investors. I wasn’t hired at DC without everyone on board being very clear and supportive up front and continuously through this process.

Points were made. Plenty of filmmakers and actors have worked for both Marvel and DC through the years. And while he’s currently helping to plan the next 10 years of projects for the latter property, the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise will always have a place in this heart. The third movie will mark the end of the story he’s been working on for over a decade, and he’s not going to take any crap for celebrating the upcoming grand finale.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will hit theaters on May 5th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. As for DC, the next movie hitting theaters is The Flash on June 16, and is expected to course-correct the official timeline of the franchise.

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.