(CBR) Director James Gunn's “Guardians of the Galaxy” is a massive hit, grossing $94 million in its opening weekend at the North American box office and setting a new record for the best-ever August debut. But while the money”s nice, Gunn doesn”t share his characters” mercenary mentality.
In a Facebook post, he says he”s much more focused on a different aspect of “Guardians of the Galaxy's” success:
“I am of course happy with all the film has accomplished box-office-wise. But what touches me the most is that the film I told the folks at Marvel I wanted to make two years ago is the film that you”re seeing in theaters today – it”s that so many of you seem to be directly EXPERIENCING the film I INTENDED. The cast, the producers, the crew, and I felt like we were making something special while we were making it. But it is very rare that a director”s INTENTIONS in creating a film, or a scene, or a character, or a line of dialogue are, seemingly, specifically what is experienced by an audience (not to mention critics!), and that seems to be what has happened here. You have allowed a talking raccoon – for a moment, a minute, or a day – to make you a little more human. And for that, I am profoundly grateful.”
Gunn is channeling that gratitude by putting his fingers to the keyboard, working hard on making ““Guardians of the Galaxy 2” into a reality:
“I”ve spent this weekend hard at work on the sequel. I couldn”t help myself! The results are nice but it”s really the creative process I love and that keeps me going. I”m on fire with this thing! The Guardians have so many hardships and heartaches and triumphs ahead of them, and I can”t wait to share them with all of you.”
The “Guardians of the Galaxy” sequel arrives July 28, 2017.