Guardians of the Galaxy Director James Gunn Responds to Jodie Foster’s Superhero Movie Criticism

James Gunn
TOKYO, JAPAN - DECEMBER 18: Film director James Gunn is seen upon arrival at Haneda Airport on December 18, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Jun Sato/GC Images)

Jodie Foster eviscerated superhero movies when she compared them to fracking saying they “wreck the earth.”

Well Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn weighed in on Foster’s comments via Twitter.

I think Foster looks at film in an old-fashioned way where spectacle film can’t be thought-provoking. It’s often true but not always. Her belief system is pretty common and isn’t totally without basis.”

https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/948020372095492096

He continued, “I say not without basis because most studio franchise films are somewhat soulless – and that is a real danger to the future of movies. But there are also quite a few exceptions.”

https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/948020920207122432

“For Cinema to survive I believe spectacle films NEED to have a vision and heart they traditionally haven’t. And some of us are doing our best to move in that direction. Creating spectacle films that are innovative, humane, and thoughtful is what excites me about this job.”

https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/948021549755330560

He then said, “But to be fair, at least from Foster’s quotes, she seems to see filmmaking as something that’s primarily about her own personal growth.”

https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/948022216808992768

He contrasted that with his own view, “For me, that may be part of why I do this, but spending many millions of dollars on a film has to be about more than that – it’s communication – so my experience is merely one spoke on that wheel.”

https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/948022434111688705

James Gunn then finished his thoughts by saying he respects Jodie Foster, “But I respect Foster and her talent and what she’s done for films and I appreciate her different way of looking at Hollywood’s landscape.”

Logan director James Mangold echoed Gunn’s statements saying “Well said, James. And happy New Year!”


Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
is now available on home release as well as Netflix. Gunn is currently working on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 which is expected to hit theaters sometime in 2020. However, the Guardians will appear in Avengers: Infinity War in just a few short months on May 4, 2018.

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