"You Don't Give Up on a Movie": What Kevin Feige Taught James Gunn About Directing

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director James Gunn reveals what he learned from working with Kevin Feige on the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. Gunn has written and directed all three Guardians of the Galaxy movies, a feat no other creator in the MCU has accomplished. Gunn is now in a position similar to Feige's at DC, co-running DC Studios with producer Peter Safran.

Gunn spoke with Screen Rant about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. He discusses what he learned from working on the trilogy. Gunn also shares what Feige taught him about perseverance in filmmaking, which could be especially important for him moving forward. Check out Gunn's full quote below:

James Gunn: I learned so much about directing [by] directing these three movies. I learned so much about storytelling in terms of what works and what doesn't work over these three movies. I learned so much about working with actors.

I learned a lot from Kevin Feige about how you don't give up on a movie; you just keep pushing it no matter what. You can't give up on something. Even if it's not the greatest move, you've got to make it better.

Why Kevin Feige's Lessons Will Be Invaluable For James Gunn After The MCU

Gunn has been an important part of the MCU introducing key characters into the Infinity Saga including Gamora, who plays a huge part in Thanos' story. The Guardians of the Galaxy who before the first movie were not well known have become fan favorites. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will bring the Guardians story to an end and with it Gunn's time at Marvel. Now, he will move from MCU writer and director who is focused on his characters and story to running DC Studios where he is dictating the larger overarching story of the entire cinematic universe.

Although he is kicking off the DC Universe with Superman Legacy, his advice to stick with a movie and make it better could prove especially important to DC given its history. DC has announced and scrapped numerous projects in the past. Feige's advice could be the key to keeping the DC Universe on track, with Gunn and the directors he works with continuing to work to improve the stories they've already decided to tell.

Gunn has not only grown as a filmmaker; he's also needed to grow as an executive, especially given his role at DC Studios. The projects Gunn announced for Chapter One of DC Studios' slate are exciting and have a lot of potential. Knowing that he seems committed to sticking with it and continuing to improve these projects, even if they become challenging, could be what sets DC Studios apart from its past reputation. Gunn's experience with the MCU on Guardians of the Galaxy through Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will prove invaluable, not only because of his evolution as a storyteller but also because of his time learning from Feige.