Guardians of the Galaxy Director James Gunn Posts Emotional Star Wars Tribute

Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn penned an emotional tribute to Star Wars. With May 4th going on and the franchise top of mind, the Marvel filmmaker shared a few thoughts about how Star Wars has shaped his movies. Guardians of the Galaxy is an infinite crowd-pleaser for Marvel Studios and it seems like Gunn has been chasing the emotions that George Lucas has been pulling out of audiences for decades. If you’re going to have a North Star in franchise filmmaking, you could do worse than Star Wars. For the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director, sharing this special day with that franchise makes his Marvel swan song even sweeter.

“11 years ago I had a meeting with Marvel Studios about the possibility of doing a Guardians of the Galaxy movie. I remember driving home & thinking I didn’t want to make a movie LIKE Star Wars, but a movie that made people FEEL like Star Wars made me feel as a kid,” Gunn said. “Outlandish characters, extraordinary locations, a space opera with a touch of magic filled with heart. Thank you, Star Wars, for inspiring me, & how appropriate that the third part of our trilogy is playing in theaters all across the world tonight on May the 4th.  #MayThe4thBeWithYou #GotGVol3”

11 years ago I had a meeting with Marvel Studios about the possibility of doing a Guardians of the Galaxy movie. I remember driving home & thinking I didn't want to make a movie LIKE Star Wars, but a movie that made people FEEL like Star Wars made me feel as a kid. Outlandish… pic.twitter.com/xiCnJOTf7c

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 4, 2023

Star Wars and Guardians Both Emotionally Connect With Fans

Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige spoke about the special nature of The Guardians of the Galaxy with Marvel.com. He says that allowing Gunn to take these characters to unsuspected places has been a true joy. “All the fans know that everything, like the comics, connects in certain ways, but very much [can also stand alone]. And James [Gunn] was always very, very direct in saying, ‘This is about these characters,’” Feige told the outlet. “It’s not about the bigger world-building — although everything is a piece of the puzzle — but this is really about seeing what becomes of this particular family.” 

“Guardians has always been about the characters. I mean, all of Marvel has, but in particular, these characters that are so unlikely,” Feige added. “In the first two movies, you were crying over all the characters, Groot [and Yondu], and in this movie, crying for all of them. And really learning about Rocket. That’s one of the things James has said from the beginning. He decided to do this franchise because he realized how he could give empathy to this little raccoon, who insists he’s not a raccoon.”

Will you be seeing Guardians later tonight? Let us know down in the comments!