James Gunn Reveals His Biggest Guardians Of The Galaxy Filming Regret

James Gunn has one regret about filming Guardians of the Galaxy. Guardians of the Galaxy opened in theaters on August 1, 2014, and took a minor obscure Marvel title and launched it to A-list status to become one of the highest-grossing films of 2014, even surpassing other more recognizable superhero titles like The Amazing Spider-Man 2, X-Men: Days of Future Past and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Guardians of the Galaxy is now a major franchise for Marvel and Disney with a theme park ride, a video game, and a highly successful sequel with a third film set to release in 2023.

A large part of the Guardians of the Galaxy's success is due to writer and director James Gunn, who reinvented the characters into the big screen icons they are now. Gunn had already been working in the industry for years before directing Guardians of the Galaxy. He got his start in 1997 as a co-writer on the Troma production, Tromeo and Juliet, before penning the scripts for both 2002's Scooby-Doo and its 2004 sequel, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, as well as the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead. Gunn directed 2006's Slither and 2010's Super before booking the job for Marvel Studios, and those years of working on his own projects gave Gunn a certain mentality he carried over with him into his days at Marvel.

Gunn does regret that, though. In an interview with MovieMaker, Gunn reveals that his one regret on filming Guardians of the Galaxy was rushing through shots because that is what he was used to on his smaller productions and films he produced. He had a producer's mindset of getting shots finished early and moving along instead of giving himself the time he needed. Gunn explained:

I was talking with my partner the other night about this: My biggest regret with Guardians was that I still had too much of a producer hat on. … We were in such a rush to be able to get our shots for the day. I mean, we were doing 54 setups a day with one camera on Super, which is unheard of. And just rushing, rushing, rushing—that speed became a part of everything I was doing. That panic, that anxiety that I had on set all day long. And I retained that through Guardians Vol. 1, and through Guardians Vol. 2 even, really. But I really needed to learn how to concentrate more on just relaxing and getting everything right. And that anxiety, I think, is something that is one of my few regrets from that time.

James Gunn on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Set

Much has changed for Gunn since he first directed Guardians of the Galaxy. He has since directed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and his next film, The Suicide Squad, has already earned early positive reactions. He just finished work on The Suicide Squad spin-off series, Peacemaker, for HBO Max. Gunn is also set to begin work on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. as well as filming The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special at the same time. He has produced The Belko Experiment and Brightburn and is currently signed on as a producer and co-writer on the script for Coyote vs. Acme. Gunn's ability to manage various projects in a variety of roles across various studios shows he has learned the lesson he wishes he had on the first Guardians of the Galaxy.

It is extremely common for filmmakers and actors to have regrets about previous films, as they always feel they could have done better or their viewpoints and style changes over time. Steven Spielberg has often said if he made it today, the end of Close Encounters of the Third Kind would be different, and even Quentin Tarantino flirted with the idea of remaking Reservoir Dogs. Gunn's stress and anxiety about getting Guardians of the Galaxy in on time are understandable, but the finished product cannot be argued with, as it became an instant favorite among many audience members who wouldn't change a thing.

Next: Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special Can Succeed Where Star Wars Failed

Source: MovieMaker