2014 saw the release of what at the time was considered to be Marvel’s riskiest bet with Guardians of the Galaxy. The film featured a cast of relative unknown characters set far away from the already established Marvel Cinematic Universe. Without the help of Iron Man, Captain America, or the Hulk, the film went on to become a runaway hit, pulling in over $770 million worldwide, easily paving the way for its 2017 sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

The film turned its star Chris Pratt into a bona fide superstar. It also proved that James Gunn was able to translate the same distinctive style that resulted in such idiosyncratic cult hits as Slither and Super to a massive blockbuster unfolding in the ever-expanding MCU. But before he stepped into the director’s chair, Gunn had to go through the rigmarole of pitching the studio his vision for the film and doing whatever he could to help the powers that be see the potential of Guardians of the Galaxy through his eyes.

Gunn has established a strong rapport with his social media followers, hosting video Q&As on Facebook and often discussing elements of his films with others on Twitter. So it was no surprise that the director would take to the internet once again to share the storyboards and shot lists that comprised his initial pitch to Marvel when he was campaigning to direct Guardians of the Galaxy. Check out some of Gunn’s pitch packet below:

The storyboards are similar in style to some of what the director has used to tease certain plot elements of the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Gunn’s technique relies far more on his ability to describe the scene through written language – which he calls attention to in his Facebook post – than from any kind of specificity that might be found in the artwork. In other words, it’s a far cry from, say, the work Geof Darrow did helping the Wachowski’s pitch The Matrix to Warner Bros., but it apparently got the job done. If anything, this pitch packet of Gunn’s demonstrates just how different directors approach their films and how some are able to create entire worlds – or galaxies – with little more than a few drawings to start from.

Gunn has far less to prove next year, as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is already one of the more anticipated blockbusters of 2017. And from the trailers alone it looks as though the director has set out to top his first Marvel outing in every way possible.

Source: James Gunn

  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Release Date: 2017-05-05 Avengers: Infinity War Release Date: 2018-04-27 The Avengers 4 Release Date: 2019-04-26