“I always felt restrained by lower-budget films. I enjoyed making them, and I felt fulfilled, but I really did always want to make bigger movies.”

American filmmaker and former studio executive

James Francis Gunn Jr. is an American filmmaker and former studio executive, known for writing and directing films in comedy, horror, and superhero genres. He served as co-chairman and co-chief executive officer of DC Studios with Peter Safran from October 2022 to November 2026. His work is often marked by unusual storytelling, blunt humor, action, and emotional depth. He is especially associated with character-driven stories that bring attention to outsider or lesser-known figures, with themes of humanity, family, belonging, and redemption. He has received three Saturn Awards, an Emmy Award, and a Critics Choice Award, and was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award.