What is James Gunn's Net Worth and Salary?
James Gunn is an American filmmaker and studio executive who has a net worth of $70 million. James Gunn is best known for directing the "Guardians of the Galaxy" film series. He is also known for directing such films as "Slither" and "Super," and for writing and directing the superhero television series "Peacemaker." In 2022, Gunn was hired alongside Peter Safran to become a co-chairman and co-CEO of DC Studios.
Early Life and Education
James Gunn Jr. was born on August 5, 1966 in St. Louis, Missouri to James Sr. and Lee. He is of Irish and Jewish ancestry, and has five siblings named Sean, Matt, Brian, Patrick, and Beth. As a kid, Gunn was influenced by low-budget horror films such as "Night of the Living Dead" and "Friday the 13th."At the age of 12, he started making 8 mm zombie movies with his brother. Gunn was educated at the Jesuit St. Louis University High School, graduating in 1984. He went on to earn his BA from Saint Louis University after studying film for two years at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Gunn continued his education at Columbia University, from which he obtained his MFA in 1995.
Career Beginnings in Music
Before entering the film industry, Gunn sang in a band called the Icons, which he founded in 1989. The band released an album, "Mom, We Like it Here on Earth," in 1994. Not long after that, the Icons disbanded. Gunn would continue to work in music throughout his career, composing songs for some films.
Film Career
Gunn kicked off his filmmaking career in 1995 working for the independent studio Troma Entertainment. His first major film credit was as co-writer of the 1996 romantic black comedy "Tromeo and Juliet." Working with co-writer Lloyd Kaufman, one of the founders of Troma, Gunn learned the art of screenplay writing, film producing, location scouting, distribution, and more. After contributing to a number of other Troma films, Gunn wrote, produced, and acted in the 2000 superhero comedy "The Specials." Following that, he wrote his first major Hollywood screenplay, which was for the 2002 big-screen adaptation of "Scooby-Doo." Gunn went on to pen the screenplay for Zack Snyder's remake of the zombie film "Dawn of the Dead," which came out in 2004. The same year, he wrote "Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed" and starred in Jenna Fischer's mockumentary "LolliLove." Gunn made his feature film directorial debut in 2006 with the science-fiction horror comedy "Slither," about a small South Carolina town plagued by an evil alien parasite; he also wrote the film. He subsequently wrote and directed the superhero black comedy "Super" (2010), starring Rainn Wilson as a short-order cook who becomes a superhero despite having no superhuman powers. Three years later, he contributed a segment to the comedy anthology film "Movie 43."
Gunn became widely known to audiences in 2014 with the superhero film "Guardians of the Galaxy," which he directed and co-wrote for Marvel Studios. Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper, among others, the film was a massive hit. Gunn would go on to write and direct the sequels "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (2017) and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" (2023). Meanwhile, he wrote and produced the 2017 horror film "The Belko Experiment," co-produced the 2019 superhero horror film "Brightburn," and wrote and directed the 2021 DC Comics superhero film "The Suicide Squad." In 2022, Gunn was hired by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav to become co-chairman and co-CEO of DC Studios, alongside Peter Safran. Later in the year, Gunn announced that he was writing a film about a young Superman called "Superman: Legacy," scheduled for release in the summer of 2025. He is also the film's director. Gunn will continue to write and direct various projects featuring DC Comics characters.
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Television Career
On television, Gunn's first major project was the superhero series "Peacemaker," which debuted in early 2022 on HBO Max. A spinoff of Gunn's film "The Suicide Squad," the series stars John Cena as the titular character. Other cast members include Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Chukwudi Iwuji, and Jennifer Holland. Later in 2022, Gunn wrote and directed the Disney+ special "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special." He went on to create the adult animated series "Creature Commandos," based on the eponymous DC Comics team and scheduled to premiere on Max in 2024.
Other Media
Beyond film and television, Gunn published a novel in 2000 called "The Toy Collector." In 2008, he and his brothers Brian and Sean created a web series for Spike.com called "James Gunn's PG Porn," which featured spoofs of pornography. Gunn has also been involved with video games, having co-written the Grasshopper Manufacture game "Lollipop Chainsaw" in 2012.
Controversy
After Gunn publicly criticized Donald Trump in 2018, rightwing media personality Mike Cernovich drew attention to previous controversial comments Gunn had made on social media about pedophilia and the Holocaust. The comments received backlash, prompting Disney to sever ties with Gunn, who at the time was the director of the studio's upcoming "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." However, the decision by Disney was roundly decried in the media, and resulted in an online petition exhorting the studio to rehire Gunn. Disney ultimately relented and reinstated Gunn in March of 2019.
Personal Life
In 2000, Gunn married actress Jenna Fischer. The pair separated in 2007 before divorcing in 2008. In 2015, Gunn began dating actress and model Jennifer Holland; they married in 2022.
Malibu Mansion
In April 2017 James sold a home in Studio City for $1.875 million. He bought this home in 2002 for $875 thousand when he was married to Jenna Fischer.
In September 2016 James paid $6.25 million for a 7,000 square foot mansion in Malibu. Set on over 3 acres, he listed the home for sale in April 2019 for $7.4 million, ultimately accepting $6.875 million in August 2019. Here is a video tour:
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