James Gunn

James Gunn

Dive into the creative world of James Gunn, the mastermind behind hits like Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad. Explore articles covering his latest projects, directorial insights, and impact on both the Marvel and DC universes. From his unique storytelling style to his influence on superhero cinema, discover everything about James Gunn’s career, movies, DCU, Superman, and future projects.

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Marvel Movie News

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Said To Have Abnett’s Title Guardians 3000

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Update: James Gunn has said this isn’t true.

 

Long story short: Dan Abnett’s 2008 Guardians of the Galaxy Marvel Comics comic book was the inspiration for the near billion dollar movie of the same name. Abnett was fired off the book by Marvel Comics executives (for some reason), and now, years later, is writing a new Guardians book, Guardians 3000.

Now it’s learned that Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy sequel may have the title “Guardians 3000.”

The info comes from the website Production Weekly, which looks to provide lists of titles for movies that are currently in production.

The Guardians 3000 comic book features the original Guardians of the Galaxy from the future. Could Gunn being going with some of those characters? Gunn recently stated GOTG 2 is about fathers, and some fans are speculating Star-Lord’s father is Starkhawk, a member of the Guardians from the future.

In addition, Gunn let it be known that Marvel Studios felt his approach for the sequel was risky. If Gunn was just doing more of the same from the first movie, Marvel definitely wouldn’t think it was a risky approach. So we can obviously guess, Gunn is coming at Guardians of the Galaxy 2 in a different way. We get further proof of that in an interview with Gunn from the Avengers 2 Red Carpet premiere where he stopped short of stating Guardians of the Galaxy 2 was more serious, but instead chose to use the wording “deeper” in relation to character development.

It’s possible Gunn could address the rumor head on, as the director is pretty vocal on his social networks.

“Guardians of the Galaxy 2” has a May 5, 2017 release.

[[wysiwyg_imageupload:20095:]]Pictured: Guardians of the Galaxy comic book writers Andy Lanning (left), Dan Abnett (right) with director James Gunn at a Guardians of the Galaxy movie set visit.

James Gunn Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and 3
Movie News

James Gunn Talks Guardians of the Galaxy 2 & 3

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James Gunn recently attended the Red Carpet premiere for The Avengers 2 where he discussed Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and even mentioned a third film.

Vulture caught up with Gunn who teased the sequel will be more about Star-Lord and his father. Star-Lord’s father was absent from the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, but is said to be an alien (though apparently SL’s father will be different than the comics).

“There’s a lot of stuff I’m excited about in the new movie,” Gunn offered. “Listen, I’m still excited about Star-Lord’s character and where he goes. At its heart, Guardians is a story about families, and if the first film was about him and his mother, this is a story about fathers. So it’s exciting to go there.”

As Gunn notes “fathers,” perhaps he is also talking about the “fathers” of the other characters as well. Maybe we’ll learn more about the Gamora, Nebula and Thanos relationship or even about Drax’s origins. It’s even possible we could learn more about where Groot came from.

With the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie being such a success, Disney quickly announced a sequel, so it should be no surprise that Gunn mentions the possibility of a third film.

“I knew for a long time what the story of the second one was gonna be,” Gunn said, before teasing, “And the third one!” 

Update: Gunn offers more in the following video with: “I think it’s about getting to know the characters a little bit more… and also get a little bit more – I don’t want to say serious – but go a little bit deeper with who the characters are.”

Gunn also says we’ll get to know more from Gamora, Nebula and Yondu “in a way we got to know some of the characters in the first movie.”

Update #2: Gunn offered the follwing on Facebook:

I did five short interviews on the red carpet at the Age of Ultron premiere, and it’s all been distilled to three topics: 1) Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is about Fatherhood, 2) We’ll get to know Gamora, Nebula, and Yondu more in the sequel, and 3) I think the mix for Awesome Mix Vol. 2 is better than Awesome mix Vol. 1. There. I just saved you ten thousand articles.

PS All of this is subject to change. Although I have a very intense and specific 70 page treatment (or scriptment as it’s often called, because it contains dialogue), I am just now diving into the actual script. If inspiration strikes I can, and often do, diverge wildly from my original plan. In a couple weeks, Guardians 2 could center around the love triangle of Awesome Android, Paste Pot Pete, and Taserface, backed by an all-Spice-Girls soundtrack. 

“Guardians of the Galaxy 2” has a May 5, 2017 release.

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TV News

James Gunn Loves New Daredevil Netflix Series

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James Gunn, no stranger to voicing his opinion, offers this thoughts on the new Marvel Daredevil series on Netflix.

Gunn offers he has always loved the character since he was a boy and loved the new series.

Gunn also says the scripts have been true to the character.

Via Gunn’s Facebook:

I have loved the character of Daredevil since I was a little boy. Outside of Batman, Daredevil probably has more great comic book arcs than any other character. From Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli to Kevin Smith to Ed Brubaker and on and on, the character has elicited some of the best work from some of the greatest comic book storytellers.

So I was a bit frightened last night when I dug into the new Marvel’s Daredevil Netflix series. I’m a rough TV critic – I love five or so shows on the air right now, but that’s about it – and I didn’t want to see one of my favorite characters come up short. On top of that I really like Steven S. DeKnight, the showrunner, and Drew Goddard, the creator, both as people and as creative forces (Spartacus, Cloverfield, Cabin in the Woods, etc).

Well, I love it. The cast is great. Charlie Cox is just awesome, and Elden Henson is about as an amazing a Foggy as I could have imagined. The fight sequences stand alongside Spartacus and Rome as some of the best TV fight sequences ever (so, the best TV fight sequences ever not performed in togas). And the scripts have been touching and on point and true to the character. In the first few episodes, I cried twice: once in a scene between young Matt and battling Jack, and again when I realized this character I loved so much for so long had been brought to television with such spirit, love, and care.

What I’m saying is, there’s a huge Marvel event going on right now, and it’s Daredevil on Netflix I hope you guys check it out.

James Gunn is directing Guardians of the Galaxy 2 for Marvel, which has a May 5, 2017 release.

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Movie News

James Gunn Says Chris Pratt Indiana Jones Rumor Seems Like BS

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James Gunn recently participated in a QnA where he discussed Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Spider-Man, X-Men and more.

Gunn also commented on the rumor that Chris Pratt will be the new Indiana Jones.

According to Variety, Gunn said that Chris Pratt playing Indiana Jones would be cool, but the report mentions Gunn goes on to say that the rumor “seemed like complete bullshit.”

The report goes on to speculate that since James Gunn had been hanging out with Chris Pratt recently, it’s possible Gunn got the information straight from Pratt.

So from that info, we can gather either Pratt never was in the running for the new Indiana Jones or that Pratt didn’t get the job.

Of course, it could also just be Gunn’s opinion on the rumor as well.

The latest rumor stated Steven Spielberg wanted Chris Pratt for Indiana Jones.

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Movie News

James Gunn Updates Guardians of the Galaxy 2

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Update: Gunn held another QnA where he revealed Guardians of the Galaxy 2 will start filming February 2016 at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

James Gunn recently gave the new Periscope App a test drive where he answered questions regarding Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Marvel and other topics.

Gunn has been busy developing the sequel, in which he previously let it be known Marvel thought his latest approach was “risky.”

Screen Rant caught the QnA and jotted down the following:

Gunn has submitted his treatment for Guardians of the Galaxy 2 to Marvel brass.

He has a follow-up meeting this Friday about the treatment and will begin the actual screenplay in about a week, in which he later added he is about 70 pages into it.

Gunn confirmed that Ronan is dead and that “not everything is going to happen in the movies as same as the comics.”

Gunn said fans will get to know the Guardians in the sequel in a “deeper way.”

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 will be in 3D.

Gunn offered they don’t do motion-capture work for Rocket and Groot, they just reference images at times.

They may have figured a way for Karen Gillan not to shave her head for Nebula.

Regarding the writing process of both movies, Gunn said he plots out the whole story, and then writes it after.

Other tidbits mentioned include:

Gunn has seen and liked Avengers 2; “lept for joy” about Spider-Man joining Marvel; current favorite comics are Silver Surfer, Wolverines and Secret Avengers; “really dug” the Fantastic Four trailer; would never direct an X-Men movie, and his favorite villain is Heath Ledger’s Joker.

“Guardians of the Galaxy 2” has a May 5, 2017 release date.

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Movie News

James Gunn’s The Belco Experiment Gets Director Greg McLean

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James Gunn‘s next project is moving forward as a director has been announced on The Belco Experiment with Greg McLean.

McClean is known for the Wolf Creek movies; Gunn will be onboard as producer.

Gunna announced the following on Facebook:

I’m incredibly excited to announce that we’re commencing production on a new film, The Belco Experiment, from my own script. The story revolves around the American Belco company in South America which is mysteriously sealed off at the beginning of a work day, and its employees are ordered to kill each other or be killed themselves. This starts an escalation of violence, where we discover the true nature of each and every Belco employee.

The film will be directed by Greg McLean, who directed the Wolf Creek films, and it will be produced by myself, and Peter Safran, who produced Annabelle and The Conjuring. MGM will be financing. We’re in pre-production now and will be shooting in Bogota, Colombia in early June of this year.

I cannot tell you how passionate and excited I am about this project! It’s a script I wrote a few years ago, for which I have always had a deep love. Believe it or not, it’s a film that first came to me in a dream, and I woke up and wrote the first draft in a two-week fugue state binge.

One of the first people to ever read the script, Jonathan Glickman, carried it around with him for years until becoming President of MGM, when he approached Peter Safran and I about financing it. I was all for it, providing two things: 1) Although it has the heart and humor my films have all had, it is also the most intense and uncompromising script I’ve ever written. It would need to stay true to that. 2) I’d only do it if we found the right director – which, in some ways, I thought was unlikely.

Jon promised we’d make the film with full integrity – and, so far, MGM has – awesomely – been true to their word. And, after a long, concentrated search for a director we came to Greg McLean. Greg shares my philosophy about honesty in film, and his naturalistic style lends itself to Belco. The past few weeks we’ve spent working together have been a joy – I don’t know if I’ve ever related to another filmmaker’s sense of aesthetics and love of film more.

Anyway, stay tuned here on my Facebook page and my other social networking sites, as well as Greg’s Twitter (@GregECP) to follow the process of making the film. We want you guys to be a part of this film as we make it. We’ll announce more casting and crew decisions soon – believe me, plenty of familiar faces will be popping up along the way!

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Comic Book News Marvel

Marvel Comics Will Be At Comic-Con

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James Gunn recently stated Marvel isn’t going to be at Comic-Con, and that he might not be there either.

Of course, this caused quite the commotion online as comic book movies happen to be he biggest draw for the convention.

No Marvel Studios means no Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, no Doctor Strange. No Avengers.

With Gunn stating no Marvel does that mean Marvel Comics as well?

Thankfully it doesn’t, True Believers, as Marvel Comics’ Senior Vice President of Publishing and executive editor Tom Brevoort confirms the presence of Marvel Comics at Comic-Con this Summer.

“I have no idea what Marvel Studios does or does not have planned for San Diego,” Brevoort replied on Tumblr when a fan asked if Marvel Comics will be attending the SDCC. “Marvel Comics will be there.”

Marvel Comics normally puts on one of the best exhibits and panels at the various conventions, so at least fans can look forward to that.

Regarding Gunn’s comments, Marvel Studios has yet to officially announce they are bowing out of Comic-Con, but if it’s true, it’s thought Marvel Studios will be holding their own presentation later in the year (maybe to announce the new Spider-Man and such).

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Marvel Movie News

James Gunn Says No San Diego Comic-Con For Marvel

[[wysiwyg_imageupload:19559:]]Kevin Feige & James Gunn At SDCC 2013
 

No big Hall H presentation by Marvel Studios this Summer at the San Diego Comic-Con?

If Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn‘s words are to be believed, Marvel Studios will not be attending Comic-Con in July.

A fan asked Gunn about attending the SDCC on Facebook, with Gunn replying, “I’m not sure. Marvel isn’t going so I’m not sure I will either.”

It’s unknown if Gunn’s reply was tongue-in-cheek, but the director is known to be a straight-shooter when it comes to the fans, so Marvel Studios may very well be skipping out on the SDCC.

If it is true, more than likely Marvel will be holding their own press event – possibly at Disney’s D23 Expo a month after Comic-Con on August 14-16 in Anaheim.

Marvel did announce their Avengers Infinity War line-up post-Comic-Con at a solo event; however, that was thought more due to Marvel not signing contracts in time with various actors for their upcoming Phase 3 movies.

It is possible Marvel may want to hold their own press event as it generates more publicity and doesn’t get buried by everything else announced at Comic-Con.

DC and Warner Bros. are thought to be in full force at this year’s SDCC with Batman Vs. Superman and Justice League.   Maybe WB would be better off holding their own press event as well (BvS cast appeared for only a couple minutes at SDCC 2014)?

Marvel may choose to do their own thing – especially seeing they now have Spider-Man – which obviously would be huge.

Bear in mind, Gunn has been wrong or told a little fib in the past: When an early piece of promo art surfaced for Guardians of the Galaxy revealing an Infinity Stone, Gunn claimed it was fan art, but it wasn’t. However, Gunn really has no reason to stretch the truth here.

With Marvel possibly not being at Comic-Con July 9-12, that would mean no promotion for Ant-Man (opens following weekend on July 17th), nothing for Captain America: Civil War (Spider-Man announcement is/was expected), and nothing for Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange (November  4, 2016).

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Movie News Star Wars

James Gunn Facebook QnA On Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers, Star Wars & More

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Earlier today saw Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn participate in a QnA on Facebook.

Below you can check out some of Gunn’s answers which range from topics including Guardians of the Galaxy, a sequel to Slither and Super, directing Star Wars or Star Trek, directing Avengers 3, favorite comic characters and lots more.

James Gunn is currently busy writing Guardians of the Galaxy 2, which has a May 5, 2017 release.

 

Question: I don’t know if it’s already been asked, but who would be your ideal actress for the role of Captain Marvel? (Dream Casting, I don’t want to intrude on the secrecy of Marvel.)

James Gunn: Paula Poundstone. I don’t know. I don’t think about casting movie characters who aren’t in my movies. Here’s the thing – a character takes on a lot of new attributes in a script, so I don’t think anyone but the filmmakers know who would be the ideal actress or actor for any role. I remember everyone sending me casting ideas for Rocket and I was, like, you guys, he’s a somewhat different in my movie than he’s been in the comics. He has a very particular way of speaking, so you don’t really know who the best casting is.

Without spoling anything what would you say is the prevailing theme of Guardians 2?

SIT IN THE CORNER.

Was the decision to put Howard the Duck in Guardians a personal decision or will we be seeing more Howard across the Marvel cinematic universe?

It was a personal decision.

Mr gunn wud u want al Pacino in GOTG 2..

Only if we had the right role for him.

Hey James… any plans to visit England soon?

Maybe. I might have a reason to go in the near future.

Would you be interested in directing the next Star Trek movie if you were approached and are you a Star Trek fan?

I like Star Trek, but I would definitely not be interested in directing a Star Trek movie.

Do you think movie theaters will continue to evolve and improve or will home theater/streaming take over?

Both. The movie going experience is becoming more centralized around spectacle films and lower-budgeted, more independent films, are being relegated to home theater (and eaten up by quality TV).

Will you PLEASE write & direct the Toxic Avenger movie I’ve always dreamt of? Consider it

Sorry, but no [sad face]

Do you read Hickman’s fantastic four? If so what is your view on it?

Yes. I like almost everything Hickman does.

James, about how many questions per day do you get regarding Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and your favorite hero being involved?

Maybe 50?

Anymore video game stuff lined up??

No, too busy with movies right now

Vin Diesel recorded the “I am Groot” line in five different languages. Which one, besides English, is your favorite out of them?

Mandarin.

What is your favorite tv show right now?

Black Sails, Better Call Saul – cannot wait for Game of Thrones!!!

I heard that Livin’ Thing by ELO was almost a part of the Awesome Mix Vol 1 but got cut. Is it likely to show up in GOTG2? Any other bands/songs you’d (ideally) want for it that you can reveal at this point?

I consider this part of the plot of GotG2.

What Marvel or DC movies are you most excited to see, aside from GOTG? 

Ant-Man

Do you u currently read comics and if so, whats ur favorite ongoing series?

Silver Surfer.

Did marvel choose Howard the duck or did you?

I did.

Hi James. Who were your favourite writers/books as a kid?

Stan Lee!

Are you interested in directing either or both Avengers: Infinity War movies?

b) Can I come live with you?

Nope and nope.

Also, are you able to confirm or deny that Loki’s scepter is an Infinity Stone?

I am

Is there going to be a meet between GotG and the Avengers?

Perhaps someday at some point in time, perhaps not.

Also, I dunno if you’ve answered this one before or even if you’d want to, but what’s with the shot of Gamora with her bare back in the Guardians trailer(s)? Is this a deleted scene or something you shot just for the ads?



I mean no offense, I’m just trying to understand how these things work.

It was a deleted scene. It happened during the Livin Thing montage. Quill caught her getting dressed and gave her a smarmy look and she sneered and closed the door on him.

Do you think Spider-Gwen will get a feature film??

I think that’s extremely unlikely. But so was Groot being one of the most popular comics characters ever, so who knows.

Would you like to direct an horror/fantastic movie and present it to the BIFFF again ? We miss you here in Brussels.

How about Guardians 2?

Do you read comics? What’s your go to series?

Yes, many. Over the years, Daredevil has probably been the most consistently good.

What marvel movie are you most excited for this year?

I think people are going to be really surprised by Ant Man. But I’ve already seen AoU.

Scooby-Doo 3?

Nope.

Any chance of another Slither style horror movie?

Perhaps someday.

So are there any other actors from Tromeo and Juliet you plan to have in any future projects?

Yes

Next non marvel project?

Producing a movie in a couple months. You’ll hear more soon.

I read that your brother Sean did the stood-in for Thanos during Guardians with Josh Brolin doing the voice/motion capture… was it too much makeup/wardrobe for a single human being or Brolin couldn’t make it into the set?

Sean just read the lines of Thanos when we shot it, that’s all. We didn’t motion reference him like we did with Rocket. I don’t think Josh was even hired yet.

If you could adapt any video game into a movie, which would you do, and why?

It would have been Hitman.

Have you read Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe and how do you think the guardians would do againts Deadpool?

He’d be dead in four seconds.

Have you ever considered doing a sequel to Slither or Super?

Slither, yes, Super, not really.

What do you think of the character Squirrel Girl and do you think she could get her own show/cartoon/movie?

I love her so much. I’d love to do a Squirrel Girl movie.

Do you and Sean work together a lot ? In a dream world what would your next project with your brother be? I love you both!

We’ve made at least three movies and video game and a web series together. My next project with him will be GotG2.

If you could do ANY other comic book movie, what would you choose?

We3

How long does it take for Groot to grow back? Lol

You’ll find out.

How much of the soundtrack for Guardians did you choose and do you wanna give us a song from part 2?

I chose every single song solely, with no input from anyone else, and no.

What future Marvel movie are you most looking forward to?

I’m dying to see Ant-Man.

Will we see more of Nebula in GOTG 2?

WHAT DID I SAY UP TOP? Go sit in the corner.

Dream project or something you’ve always wanted to do, but aren’t able to cause of rights or feasibility, ect?

Maybe We3.

How is it directing your brother? Does he try to get away with more?

Hell no, he’s the easiest of all my actors to work with, the most professional and the most prepared. He earned the act of the other actors on Guardians and they all love him – just read all the great things Zoe and Dave has said about him.

whats your thoughts on Spider-man now in the MCU?

would you helm Avengers 3 if Joss didnt want to/couldn’t?

It doesn’t really interest me, no, and I think Joss has already publicly said that’s not what he wants to do, yes?

What other projects would you like to work on other than GOTG? Could you see yourself doing something along the lines of a biopic?
 
I usually hate biopics unless they just take a small section – a single story – from a person’s life. I have another big movie I want to do outside Marvel, but it might be a while.
 
What’s up Gunn! What was your first reaction when you found out you would direct GotG and how did you feel when the fans ended up loving it even though it was a “risky” movie?
 
I felt like a girl winning American Idol with confetti coming down around me when I found out I got the gig. I was very happy that people loved the movie as much as I did.
 
Massive fan of your film Super….. Love it! My question is do you think we will see a sequel?
 
Nope.
 
What’s your favourite track off of the awesome mix Vol. 1?
 
Right now, Come and Get Your Love.
 
Will you be coming back to DragonCon?
 
Maybe. I’m gonna try. Because we’re filming in Atlanta, I hope it works out for my schedule.
 
If there was one superhero in the entire universe you could make a movie franchise for whom would you want it to be?
 
Rocket. Done.
 
Are you excited to see age of ultron?
 
Already have seen it. (smiles)
 
Did Marvel Comics gave you creative freedom for GOG?
 
Yes. And even more on GotG2. We have a really great relationship where they let me go and do my thing, and I truly listen to their notes and ideas. I’ve never been told to put in any character or plot element at all. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve read stuff on the Internet from people who think they understand how Marvel works, when they don’t at all. When they trust you – and I think I’ve earned their trust over the past few years – they give you a wide berth. I truly love them and love working with them. Like a good marriage, we just fit.
 
how would you rate vin diesel’s abilities as an actor?
 
He’s amazing.
 
Do you think guardians would have worked as a film 30 years ago using star wars style cg and henson puppets?
 
No, for certain not. The only time the tone of Guardians would work was now. I don’t think it would have worked even five years ago, even if the VFX were the same.
 
Are you a WWE fan? Just curious if you were familiar with Dave’s work there before he was cast in Guardians.
 
I had no idea who Dave was when he auditioned – I only knew he was amazing.
 
How would you compare making Slither and Super to Guardians of The Galaxy? I’m pretty intrigued by your transition from diy indie films to a massive block buster space opera. 

Plus, how do you script? Like do you make it up as you go along? shuffle Index cards with plot details?
 
I find the process pretty much the same. You envision it all and make it. Most of it is drawing boxes and composing shots so that they work well as an overall story. I usually write out a very, very intricate treatment first – I get the story exactly as I want it every step of the way and try to fix all the plot problems (which are the hardest for me) at that stage. That will be like a sixty page treatment and will include every beat in the movie. Then I script. I’m always open to changes if they come along, and they will.
 
DId GotG start with I’m Not in Love because there’s the part in the song that says “Big boys don’t cry” and that’s why Peter was listening to that song in the beginning of the movie?
 
I’m Not in Love is a song about a person who clearly loves but is trying to deny it. That’s what Peter is doing in that moment.
 
Who would you like to see play Spider-man?
 
No idea.
 
I want to go out but I’m wasted an it’s nearly 9pm. Any advice? What would Star Lord do?
 
He probably wouldn’t be wasted. He’s not a big drinker.
 
Was the scene at the casino for rocket Racoon hard to get right? Because it’s so well balanced
 
It was hard to get right because the scenes around it were so hard. It itself came together fairly easily.
 
who of the five core guardians did you NOT personally cast?
 
 I cast every single role in the movie personally.
 
favourite marvel movie apart from GOTG
 
Iron Man.
 
Futur projects that you are working on (not Marvels) that you plan to reveal this year
 
I’m producing a movie I’ve written, which we just hired a director on. Look forward to news soon. Other than that, all GotG2 all the time.
 
If you could’ve directed any other of the superhero movies, which would you have chosen?
 
Well I tried to direct Hit Monkey before Gotg2. Does that count.
 
What was your favorite part about the film
 
Drax petting Rocket
 
I know you’ve said that Howard the Duck was just a joke you put into the end credits, but given the response, if Marvel was interested would you do a new Howard the Duck movie?
 
No, probably not. A movie is two years of my life or more. I would like to make a Howard movie – enough to take up that much of my life? I have to have it in every fiber of my being to do it.
 
Would you ever direct a horror movie, a musical or a Star Wars movie?
 
Horror movie maybe, musical for sure, Star Wars film probably not
 
After watching GoTG Behind the Scenes, I can see you like video games a lot, which ones are your personal favorite?
 
Knighs of the Old Republic!
 
Are there going to be any major crew changes to Guardians 2 or are you sticking with the same team?
 
Major crew changes
 
Will you ever plan working with Nathan Fillion in a lead role again?
 
 Yep.
 
Who was your favorite character in GotG to write for?
 
Rocket and Groot
 
Will Von Spears rock another cameo in GOTG2?
 
 Maybe
 
Favorite childhood superhero?
 
Spider-Man and Batman probably.
 
Favorite female superhero?
 
Tricky.
 
 If you could make an R rated film set in the Marvel Universe, which characters would it be about…?
 
Maybe. Maybe Moon Knight. I don’t know how much it appeals to me to make an R rated Marvel film right now. So many people who wanted to see it wouldn’t be able, and that would make me sad.
 
Hi james, searching for the answer to which got you started. Star trek or star wars?
 
Wars.
 
Favorite DC character?
 
Batman
 
After a couple cult hits (and faves of mine) how has your life changed after directing a film that made 3/4 of a billion dollars?
 
Not really. I do the same stuff. People treat me slightly differently, but I’m surrounded by all the same friends and family I was beforehand.
 
Any info on the film you want to make after GOTG2?
 
I have two choices – not sure which one I’ll choose yet.
 
How did you chose the soundtrack for GOTG?
 
Instinct, what I personally liked, and what best told the story I was trying to tell.
 
How was it having Lloyd Kaufman in Guardians? Also how big of a response did that get?
 
People recognize him all the time. He’s the closest thing I have to a father outside of a father, so I always love hanging out with him. It was fun having him on set.
 
Which upcoming film are you most looking forward to?
 
STAR WARS by 1000. Mostly because I’ve already seen Age of Ultron.
 
If you could direct a movie about a DC character, who would be and why?
 
Shazam. I like the “Big” aspect of it.
 
Describe Joss in one sentence??
 
He always looks like he just finished a marathon seconds ago, and I’ve known the man for fifteen years.
 
What’s the plot and who will be in Guardians of the Galaxy 3?
 
Spider-Ham, Popeye, and Skeletor will by the guardians.
 
Where can fan mail be sent? When does GOTG filming plan to start?
 
I don’t have a public mailing address because the Internet
 
Okay, thanks for all the questions, guys. Sorry if I didn’t get to yours. This was the break my brain needed. Now back to writing. Have a great day.
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Marvel Movie News

No Ms. Marvel In Guardians of the Galaxy 2

[[wysiwyg_imageupload:19550:]]See how awful the above really is (Bendys GOTG)?

 

With Marvel launching a Carol Danvers Ms. Captain Marvel (there’s only one Mar-vell, guys) in 2018, some fans may have thought Ms. Marvel would first be appearing in Guardians of the Galaxy 2.

The good news (or bad news, depending how you look at it), is that there will be no Captain Ms. Marvel in Guadians of the Galaxy 2.

Gunn tweeted out: “Getting this a lot this morning. As I said months ago, no, sorry.”

The fan speculation may be attributed to the current Marvel Comics Guardians of the Galaxy comic book, written by Brian Michael Bendys, which featured the character. Bendiss also included Iron Man in his less than stellar run, and no Iron Man was featured in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie as well (contrary to fan rumors).

We get futher good news in that Bendy’s symbiote world (i.e. Venom) won’t be in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 from Gunn.

“There are no rumors. Just guesses, which are fun,” Gunn also tweeted. “Only 6 of us know who’s in GotG2.”

Regarding why no Ms. Marvel, Gunn previously said he wants to keep Star-Lord as the only human in space, which we actually don’t agree with either as: 1) Star-Lord isn’t human (he’s half alien) and 2) Star-Lord was taken away to space at such a young age, he isn’t a relatabe human character anymore.

Of course our choice to pair with Star-Lord is – as seen in the comics – Richard Rider Nova.

“Guardians of the Galaxy 2” has a May 5, 2017 release.

[[wysiwyg_imageupload:19551:]]Much better, thank you.

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Movie News

James Gunn Responds To Superhero Movie Criticisms

Apparently the latest "in thing" amongst the Hollywood crowd is to knock superhero movies. Dan Gilroy, who happens to be married to Thor and Thor 2's Rene Russo, recently compared superhero movies to a tsunami. And last night on the Oscars saw also Jack Black (of all people) throw jabs at superhero movies during his

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Movie News

Marvel Says Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Story Is Risky

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No stranger to risk, now James Gunn says Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is risky as well.

When Guardians of the Galaxy was announced, aside from the Marvel Cosmic faithful, not many comic or fans from the general public were even aware of any characters from the team.

Some had written Guardians of the Galaxy off before they had even seen the first trailer; however, Gunn and the Guardians of the Galaxy managed to score three-quarters of a billion dollars as well as achieving the best grossing movie for 2014 in the U.S.

Now while participating in a podcast, Gunn lets it be known that Marvel thinks his take on Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is risky.

“It’s not really based on anything. The story for Guardians 2 is an original story that I came up with that I started working on actually while I was shooting Guardians 1, and it’ll answer some of the questions that were put forth in the first movie about Peter Quill’s father and who he is and what’s going on with that. We’ll get to know some of the characters a little bit more and then we’re going to meet a couple of new characters who will be very important to Guardians movies and probably important to the Marvel Universe as a whole.”

“It’s different than what’s in the comic books. Peter Quill’s father is somebody different in the comics. So then when the movie came out, we got green-lit on the sequel right away. I went in and I sat down with those guys and I’m like, ‘Okay, here’s what I think the sequel should be.’ And they were like, ‘Oh, whoa. That’s risky, but okay.’ Now I’m going to turn over the story in a few short weeks and we’ll find out how well it works.”

It’s interesting that Marvel apparently thinks Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is risky as it must mean Gunn is not just going to copy what he did for Guardians of the Galaxy (which Marvel was probably banking on).

Gunn also says above that the story for Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is original, which apparently shoots down the recent rumors that Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is based on the Marvel Comics Annihilation: Conquest event.

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 has a May 5, 2017 release.

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Movie News

No Ronan For Guardians of the Galaxy 2

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Last we saw of Ronan, played by Lee Pace, he was seemingly blown to smithereens at the end of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

As it is Cosmic, alien beings and infinite artifacts – anything is possible and Ronan could always come back in some way.

Well, it’s learned it won’t be in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 as director James Gunn confirmed no Ronan for the sequel.

“Who knows,” Gunn said in regards to Ronan ever showing up again in a Facebook QnA. “But not in 2, no.”

Lee Pace did state in a recent interview he would be up for playing The Accuser again, and Gunn does offer that it’s possible.

“Perhaps someday,” Gunn replied when asked again about Ronan.

James Gunn also stated he wouldn’t be able to use Gladiator due to Marvel not owning the rights to the character.

With Ronan out as being the villain in the sequel, just who is Gunn going to go with?

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 has a May 5, 2017 release.

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Movie News

Marvel Studios Can’t Use Gladiator Or The Shi’ar

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Marvel Cosmic fans won’t be seeing Kallark in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 or any other Marvel movie.

Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn was asked about using Gladiator in which he responded he can’t because Marvel doesn’t own the rights.

“No. Marvel Studios doesn’t own him. Otherwise I’d love to use him,” Gunn responded on Facebook.

Gladiator is a member of the Imperial Guard – belonging to the alien race known as the Shi’ar- which is owned by Fox as a part of the X-Men.

Gladiator first appeared in X-Men #107 and was also used by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning in their Guardians of the Galaxy run that inspired the movie.

It’s too bad Gladiator can’t be used as now we can’t see Rocket Raccoon taking on Marvel’s version of Superman.

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Movie News

Guardians of the Galaxy Nominated For Two Oscars; Complete List

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The #1 movie of 2014 has just been announced to be up for not one, but two Oscar awards.

Guardians of the Galaxy has been nominated for “Best Achievement In Visual Effects” and “Best Makeup and Hairstyling.”

In the Visual Effects category they also face competition from Captain America 2, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Nolan’s Interstellar and X-Men: Days Of Future Past.

The Makeup category sees the Guardians taking on Foxcatcher and The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Director James Gunn stated on his Facebook he was “extremely pleased” with the nominations, in addition to adding a few remarks about the other nominees including that he felt Guardians of the Galaxy “costume designer, Alexandra Byrne, our Production Designer, Charles Wood, and our Sound team from Skywalker Sound were snubbed as badly as anyone.”

Here is the complete list of nominees for the 2015 Oscars:

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
American Sniper
Clint Eastwood, Robert Lorenz, Andrew Lazar, Bradley Cooper and Peter Morgan, Producers
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher and James W. Skotchdopole, Producers
Boyhood
Richard Linklater and Cathleen Sutherland, Producers
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales and Jeremy Dawson, Producers
The Imitation Game
Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky and Teddy Schwarzman, Producers
Selma
Christian Colson, Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Producers
The Theory of Everything
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce and Anthony McCarten, Producers
Whiplash
Jason Blum, Helen Estabrook and David Lancaster, Producers

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Steve Carell in Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper in American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Robert Duvall in The Judge
Ethan Hawke in Boyhood
Edward Norton in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Mark Ruffalo in Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons in Whiplash

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Marion Cotillard in Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones in The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore in Still Alice
Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon in Wild

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Patricia Arquette in Boyhood
Laura Dern in Wild
Keira Knightley in The Imitation Game
Emma Stone in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Meryl Streep in Into the Woods

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR
Big Hero 6
Don Hall, Chris Williams and Roy Conli
The Boxtrolls
Anthony Stacchi, Graham Annable and Travis Knight
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Dean DeBlois and Bonnie Arnold
Song of the Sea
Tomm Moore and Paul Young
The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya
Isao Takahata and Yoshiaki Nishimura

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
Ida (Poland)
Leviathan (Russia)
Tangerines (Estonia)
Timbuktu (Mauritania)
Wild Tales (Argentina)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
American Sniper
Written by Jason Hall
The Imitation Game
Written by Graham Moore
Inherent Vice
Written for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson
The Theory of Everything
Screenplay by Anthony McCarten
Whiplash
Written by Damien Chazelle

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo
Boyhood
Written by Richard Linklater
Foxcatcher
Written by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Screenplay by Wes Anderson; Story by Wes Anderson & Hugo Guinness
Nightcrawler
Written by Dan Gilroy

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Emmanuel Lubezki
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Robert Yeoman
Ida
Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski
Mr. Turner
Dick Pope
Unbroken
Roger Deakins

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Milena Canonero
Inherent Vice
Mark Bridges
Into The Woods
Colleen Atwood
Maleficent
Anna B. Sheppard and Jane Clive
Mr. Turner
Jacqueline Durran

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
CitizenFour
Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky
Finding Vivian Maier
John Maloof and Charlie Siskel
Last Days in Vietnam
Rory Kennedy and Keven McAlester
The Salt of the Earth
Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and David Rosier
Virunga
Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry
Joanna
Aneta Kopacz
Our Curse
Tomasz Sliwinski and Maciej Slesicki
The Reaper (La Parka)
Gabriel Serra Arguello
White Earth
J. Christian Jensen

ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
American Sniper
Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach
Boyhood
Sandra Adair
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Barney Pilling
The Imitation Game
William Goldenberg
Whiplash
Tom Cross

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Foxcatcher
Bill Corso and Dennis Liddiard
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier
Guardians of the Galaxy
Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SCORE)
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alexandre Desplat
The Imitation Game
Alexandre Desplat
Interstellar
Hans Zimmer
Mr. Turner
Gary Yershon
The Theory of Everything
Jóhann Jóhannsson

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SONG)
“Everything Is Awesome” from The Lego Movie
Music and Lyric by Shawn Patterson
“Glory” from Selma
Music and Lyric by John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn
“Grateful” from Beyond the Lights
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me
Music and Lyric by Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond
“Lost Stars” from Begin Again
Music and Lyric by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois

ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
The Imitation Game
Production Design: Maria Djurkovic; Set Decoration: Tatiana Macdonald
Interstellar
Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
Into the Woods
Production Design: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
Mr. Turner
Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Charlotte Watts

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
The Bigger Picture
Daisy Jacobs and Christopher Hees
The Dam Keeper
Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi
Feast
Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed
Me and My Moulton
Torill Kove
A Single Life
Joris Oprins

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Aya
Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis
Boogaloo and Graham
Michael Lennox and Ronan Blaney

Butter Lamp (La Lampe Au Beurre De Yak)
Hu Wei and Julien Féret
Parvaneh
Talkhon Hamzavi and Stefan Eichenberger
The Phone Call
Mat Kirkby and James Lucas

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
American Sniper
Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Martín Hernández and Aaron Glascock
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Brent Burge and Jason Canovas
Interstellar
Richard King
Unbroken
Becky Sullivan and Andrew DeCristofaro

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
American Sniper
John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño and Thomas Varga
Interstellar
Gary A. Rizzo, Gregg Landaker and Mark Weingarten
Unbroken
Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño and David Lee
Whiplash
Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Bryan Grill and Dan Sudick
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett and Erik Winquist
Guardians of the Galaxy
Stephane Ceretti, Nicolas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner and Paul Corbould

Interstellar
Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Richard Stammers, Lou Pecora, Tim Crosbie and Cameron Waldbauer

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Movie News

Guardians of the Galaxy Gets A Screenplay Writers Guild Nomination

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Good news for James Gunn and Nicole Perlman as the screenplay for Guardians of the Galaxy has earned a Writers Guild Nomination Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

The Writer Guild Awards also credits Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning whose 2008 Guardians of the Galaxy comic book inspired both Gunn and Perlman:

Guardians of the Galaxy, Written by James Gunn and Nicole Perlman; Based on the Marvel comic by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Other nominees included in the category are: American SniperGone GirlThe Imitation Game and Wild.

Gunn posted the following response to the news on his Facebook:

So today I woke up to discover I was nominated, along with Nicole Perlman, for a Writer’s Guild Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Guardians of the Galaxy. I’m honored and surprised by this, especially because we were the only film, of all ten films nominated for writing awards, that did not send a screener to Guild members, and did not spend money on any kind of push. Pretty damn cool. I know some of my fellow Writers’ Guild members follow me here, so thanks!

I also want to send out hearty congratulations to Charles Wood, our production designer, who was nominated for an Art Directors’ Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design, and Alexandra Byrne, our costume designer, who was nominated for a Costume Designer Guild Award for Excellence in a Fantasy Film. Charlie and Alex are two of my most talented GotG partners and couldn’t be more deserving of these nominations (and, truly, the awards themselves).

The winners of the Writers Guild Awards will be announced February 14th.

James Gunn is writing Guardians of the Galaxy 2 set for a May 5, 2017 release date. Nicole Perlman is writing the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Gamora prequel comic book for Marvel Comics. Dan Abnett is writing Guardians 3000 for Marvel, and Andy Lanning continues to write comics for various publishers.

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Movie News

Watch: James Gunn Do The Baby Groot Dance

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Check out James Gunn doing the Baby Groot dance!

If you didn’t know, James Gunn was the model used for the Baby Groot dance at the end of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

Gunn appeared at the Upright Citizens’ Brigade for the Doug Loves Movies podcast in LA earlier tonight where he was asked to do the dance.

We see Michael Rooker and Gunn’s brother Sean also join in.

 

This just happened @dougbenson @michael_rooker @thejudgegunn @jamesgunn #GuardiansOfTheGalaxy

A video posted by Listak (@nerdstak) on

Watch: Dancing Baby Groot:

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Movie News

James Gunn Couldn’t Use Rom, Bug Or The Badoon In Guardians of the Galaxy

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Fans of the Abnett and Lanning Guardians of the Galaxy comic book would have loved to have seen Bug in the movie, and fans of the original characters would have loved to have seen The Badoon.

Another fan-favorite character is Rom The Spaceknight.

It turns out the three may have had a chance of appearing in the movie if only Marvel held the film rights to the characters.

Rom The Spaceknight is owned by Hasbro as is Bug, as Bug is first considered a member of the Micronauts.

The Badoon are owned by Fox as the Badoon first appeared in Silver Surfer, which Fox Studios owns the film rights to as well.

James Gunn recently spoke about the characters with Geek Nation:

There’s characters that I’ve been interested in that I’m not allowed to use but I won’t go so far as to say I definitely would have had them. There was a really good chance Bug was going to show up in the first movie but we do not own him… but, anyway, that was going to happen, perhaps. Listen, I really love Rom: Spaceknight, as everyone at Marvel knows because they’ve given me Rom stuff… but we don’t own Rom. I would love for Rom: Spaceknight to show up because I love his story, I love the way he looks, I love everything about him… There are other characters, but basically, some characters we can work around and we can use. Listen, I wanted to use the Badoon, but the Badoon we don’t own… they’re really interesting. They would be like the cannon fodder guys who were like the Sakaaran in my movie… I wrote them as Badoon but I just did a search-replace-Sakaaran when I found out we didn’t have Badoon. It was strangely late in the process when I found that out. They were designed as Badoon.

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