Nothing is bigger than superhero movies, and few are bigger names in the world of superhero movies than James Gunn. He directed the much beloved Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and is now one of the people leading the charge for an all-new DC Universe. But that perhaps hasn’t come without some battles, as a new book claims that James Gunn and Nicole Perlman, who co-wrote the original Guardians of the Galaxy film, have been engaged in something of a feud over credit for the script.
James Gunn is the sole credited writer on the Guardians of the Galaxy sequels, but the first film lists two names, Gunn and Nicole Perlman. Perlman wrote an initial draft of the film before Gunn came in and handled a new draft himself, making drastic changes to the script, to the point that a new book The Reign of Marvel Studios (via Gamerant) reports that Gunn tried to have Perlman’s name taken off the script in attempt to allegedly undermine her claims to the film.
Zack Stentz, who co-wrote the Thor script for Marvel Studios and is a friend of Perlman’s, is quoted in the new boo. He claims that not only did Gunn try to have the other writer’s credit removed (despite the movie still using key concepts that she had first written), but Stentz alleges Gunn leaked information to the media in order to undermine her as part of a campaign against the writer.
There was an arbitration hearing over the script credit, which Perlman won, allowing her to keep her name in the credits of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie. She reportedly threw a “Fuck James Gunn” party upon the film’s release to celebrate the fact that she had won her case.
While these are simply allegations, and Perlman herself was seemingly not interviewed for the book, beyond stating that she “credits everybody in the movie,” this sort of thing certainly doesn’t paint James Gunn in the best light. Two people can certainly have a different opinion on who deserves credit for what, but this certainly goes beyond that.
Perlman would go on to work on Captain Marvel and she's previously been attached to the female-focused Fast & Furious spinoff. It's not hard to argue that the Guardians screen credit was a benefit to her career when it comes to writing action movies, something not many women are hired to do.
Gunn’s talent as a filmmaker is undeniable. He wrote and directed the other two Guardians movies, which are seen by many as some of the best the MCU has to offer to date. We also know that James Gunn has gone through a lot of personal change over the years, as had once been fired by Marvel Studios over social media comments he had long since disavowed. We'll have to wait and see what if anything he says about this particular situation.
