James Gunn

James Gunn
Gunn in July 2016
Born	August 5, 1970 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Nationality	American
Education	Saint Louis University (B.A.) Columbia University (M.F.A.)
Occupation	Screenwriter, director, producer, novelist, actor, musician
Spouse(s)	Jenna Fischer (m. 2000; div. 2008)
Relatives	Sean Gunn (brother) Matt Gunn (brother) Brian Gunn (brother) Mark Gunn (paternal cousin)
Website	jamesgunn.com

James Gunn (born August 5) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, novelist, actor, and musician. He started his career as a screenwriter in the mid 1990s, writing the scripts for Tromeo and Juliet (1996), Scooby-Doo (2002) and its sequel Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), and the 2004 version of Dawn of the Dead. He then started working also as a director, starting with Slither (2006). He subsequently wrote and directed the web series James Gunn's PG Porn, and the superhero films Super (2010) and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017).

Gunn was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He was raised between St. Louis and Manchester, Missouri. His brothers are actor Sean, actor and political writer Matt, Brian, and former Senior Vice President with Artisan Entertainment Patrick. He also has a sister named Beth. Gunn's father, James F. Gunn, is a partner and corporate attorney with the law firm Thompson Coburn in St. Louis. Gunn's surname is derived from the Irish name MacGilGunn, meaning "sons to the servants of the god of the dead".

Growing up, Gunn was influenced by low-budget films such as Night of the Living Dead and Friday the 13th. He read magazines like Fangoria and attended genre movie screenings, including the original Dawn of the Dead at the Tivoli Theatre in St. Louis. At the age of 12, he began making 8 mm zombie films with his brothers in the woods near their home.