Why Every James Gunn Movie Looks So Familiar - And Why That's OK
It's only natural for James Gunn to receive a fair amount of attention online. He directed arguably the best trilogy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the "Guardians of the Galaxy" films, and he's the new co-head for DC Studios, meaning he's overseeing a new version of an interconnected DC film universe. That also entails him helming "Superman: Legacy," coming to theaters in 2025.
While he's proven a solid commodity in terms of critical praise and box office success, not everyone is ecstatic to see him get such high-profile projects. One complaint levied against the filmmaker online is that he reuses the same actors for all his movies. Some familiar faces may include Nathan Fillion, Sean Gunn, and Michael Rooker. One such individual to criticize Gunn is Twitter user @nonstudios, who wrote, "@JamesGunn please do not encourage #GotG cast to follow you to DCU. Find fresh actors that can craft brilliant characters and forge new memories for audiences, instead of swimming in the same muddy pond. I know I am not alone in feeling this way. Rebirth, not reuse. Please." The thinking appears to be that the same actors in every Gunn movie result in the same vibe.
James Gunn actually responded to this tweet, writing, "We have hundreds of roles to cast. As I've always done, some will be brand new faces, some will be actors I've worked with before, & some will be actors you know who I've never worked with. What matters most is the actor fits the role & they're easy to work with." Considering how long some movies can take to make, it's understandable for directors to work with people they know they get along with, and Gunn's reasoning makes sense as far as making the best film possible.
Plenty of directors work with the same actors across projects
The criticism that James Gunn casts the same people in his movies holds some truth, but it leaves out essential context. Yes, certain actors pop up repeatedly throughout Gunn's filmography. In addition to those listed above, Sylvester Stallone has appeared in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" and "Vol. 3" in addition to voicing King Shark in "The Suicide Squad." He's even brought actors across the Marvel/DC threshold, with Pom Klementieff appearing in the "Guardians" films and having a small part in "The Suicide Squad." There's also Daniela Melchior, who broke out as Ratcatcher II in "The Suicide Squad" only to show up as Ura in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." As a result, it may be easy to tell when one's watching a Gunn flick because the same people tend to be there.
However, this isn't anything new for filmmakers. When Gunn responded to a post from @BossLogic about this topic, he pointed out, "Preston Sturges, Clint Eastwood, Scorsese, Robert Altman, Tarantino, so, so many more – we work with the same actors because we know how they work, how they tick, we develop a shorthand. We know they're reliable, good people." Pretty much every director works with people they've worked with before, provided they have a good working relationship. To take one of Gunn's examples, Robert De Niro has appeared in 10 Martin Scorsese projects, while Leonardo DiCaprio, Harvey Keitel, and Harry Northup have starred in six each as of this writing.
Directors finding actors they like and continually casting them is nothing new, so it's a bit unfair to levy criticism against Gunn for doing the same thing. The only reasoning behind it is likely the connection people have with DC characters, so they may be apprehensive about seeing Gunn's frequent collaborators pop up in "Superman: Legacy" and beyond. But Gunn said he casts the best people for the roles, and since he's the one working on these films, it'd be best to assume he knows what he's doing.
James Gunn also tends to work with the same people behind the scenes
Seeing the same actors pop up in James Gunn's movies isn't the only reason they may come across the same. Again, like many other directors, Gunn has a unique voice, which means he often writes his own movies, too. There's usually some degree of risqué humor, even for his PG-13 movies, and more often than not, a character's going to have daddy issues. His films also have kind of the same visual style. This is to be expected with something like the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies, which have to work with the MCU's framework, but it extends into his other projects.
The second half of Gunn's tweet can help explain this: "Same way I work with the same production designer, costume designer, DP, AD, etc." Similar to how he works with the same actors, he appears to have a solid team in his corner who follow him from one project to the next. For example, Beth Mickle has been his production designer, starting with "The Suicide Squad" and going on to "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." This can certainly result in his movies looking the same, but again, this is something most filmmakers do and is nothing out of the ordinary.
If you had a chance to pick your coworkers, who you may be working with for over a year, you'd likely opt for people you knew you got along with. Directors are the same, and while this can lead to a certain cinematic style, it isn't intrinsically a bad thing. Steven Spielberg frequently works with composer John Williams. Wes Anderson movies typically utilize intense color palettes with symmetrical framing. It's a way for filmmakers to get their point across more efficiently while ensuring the highest-quality product possible. James Gunn is merely following in the trajectory of pretty much every film director ever, and audiences shouldn't hold that against him.