James Gunn Reveals Why He Won't Do a Star Wars Movie

Thanks to genre films like Super and Slither, James Gunn's name might not have been at the top of many lists of directors who could possibly take on a Star Wars film earlier in his career, though his accomplishments with the Guardians of the Galaxy films saw audiences completely reevaluating his vision for the galaxy far, far away, though the director himself has reiterated that he doesn't see himself being interested in joining that franchise anytime soon. Not only is that franchise out of the question, but the filmmaker confirmed that he doesn't currently have an interest in any franchise he isn't already immersed in.

During a Q&A on Instagram, Gunn was asked if he would like to make a Star Wars film or join any other franchise, to which Gunn replied, "No it doesn't really interest me as a filmmaker. I can't think of any franchises I'd want to join other than the ones I'm already part of."

Prior to the director having delivered audiences Guardians of the Galaxy, it would have seemed more likely that he was interested in joining the galaxy far, far away, but Gunn also recently revealed he has no interest in even directing an episode of The Mandalorian.

Participating in another Instagram Q&A, Gunn was asked last December if he would consider directing an entry into the live-action series, similarly responding, "It doesn't really interest me, no."

While the filmmaker didn't specify his lack of interest in such an endeavor, we can't help but wonder if it was a reflection of Lucasfilm and Disney's various behind-the-scenes struggles.

In 2018, Gunn lost his gig as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 when a series of tweets from earlier in his career resurfaced and, given their offensive nature, Disney didn't want to be associated with such comments. Luckily, Disney had a change of heart on the matter, ultimately rehiring Gunn for the project last year.

In 2017, Star Wars fans were shocked to discover that Phil Lord and Chris Miller were departing Solo: A Star Wars Story, with no real details being revealed about the reason for the split. Also that year, Colin Trevorrow, who was slated to direct Star Wars: Episode IX, parted ways with the studio, with J.J. Abrams ultimately taking on directorial duties. In 2019, Game of Thrones co-creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss announced that they would be leaving the studio, despite being announced as developing a trilogy.

Luckily, there's still a third Guardians of the Galaxy on the way to satiate Gunn fanatics, in addition to his upcoming The Suicide Squad.

Would you like Gunn to direct a Star Wars movie? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!