James Gunn

Birthday: Aug 5, 1970
Birthplace: Saint Louis, Missouri, USA

Bio: James Gunn is an American writer, film maker, actor, musician and cartoonist. Gunn began his film making career with Troma Entertainment, for whom he wrote and co-directed Tromeo and Juliet (1996). After contributing to several other Troma films, Gunn wrote, produced and performed in his own superhero comedy, The Specials, which was made very quickly on a very low… More Bio: James Gunn is an American writer, film maker, actor, musician and cartoonist. Gunn began his film making career with Troma Entertainment, for whom he wrote and co-directed Tromeo and Juliet (1996). After contributing to several other Troma films, Gunn wrote, produced and performed in his own superhero comedy, The Specials, which was made very quickly on a very low budget, and was moderately successful, but the quality of the screenplay got James noticed and, in his own words, launched his career. Gunn also met his wife, Jenna Fischer, on the film.Gunn's first major Hollywood screenplay was Scooby-Doo (2002). He has since written scripts for a number of films, including the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004). Gunn became the first screenwriter in cinema history to write back-to-back #1 for the weekend box office hits, with Dawn of the Dead on March 19, 2004 and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed on March 26, 2004.Gunn's directorial debut was Slither. It was a box office bomb, earning a disappointing $3,880,270 in its opening weekend, and grossing a worldwide box office total of $12.2 million, substantially less than its total budget of $29.5 million (when marketing costs are included). Consequently, Slither's poor box office performance may have a profoundly negative affect on the future of the horror/comedy genre, discouraging studios from producing them. However, Slither did receive an 83% favorable rating among the consensus of critics tracked by Rottentomatoes.com. Slither also managed to pick up the 2006 Fangoria Chainsaw Award for the Highest Body Count. The film also garnered nominations in the categories of Relationship From Hell, Dude You Dont Wanna Mess With, and Looks That Kill. The movie was also featured in the April 14th, 2006 issue of Entertainment Weekly, as #1 on "The Must List"; "Ten Things We Love This Week."