Best known for his reinvention of Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, Gunn now finds himself at the helm of DC's newest cinematic chapter—a fresh take on Superman. His process on how he writes superhero scripts forges a bridge between structure and spontaneity, speech and silence, myth and humanity, goofiness and seriousness.
James Gunn's writing process is dynamic and deliberately flexible, designed to keep his creative juices flowing and stave off a condition worse than writers' block – boredom.
He avoids falling into writing routines by regularly changing his screenwriting approach: sometimes starting by immediately writing scenes, letting character-driven moments flow organically, and other times laboriously developing detailed treatments and outlines. He admits to sometimes "treatmenting something to death," but believes the best results come from a "treatment with freedom" that balances structure, narrative flow and spontaneity.
I completely relate to Superman because he's everything I am … he's somebody who is an outsider who feels like an alien, but also the ultimate insider, because he's Superman.
Screenwriting James Gunn Style
James Gunn's screenwriting process is distinguished by several unique elements that consistently shape his stories:
- Injecting Himself into the Script: He emphasizes putting his own distinct sensibilities and personal style—his "weirdness," humor, and heart—into each script. Gunn learned not to dilute his voice, but to amplify it.
- Controlled Use of Improvisation: While he rehearses and allows for some discovery with actors in rehearsal, Gunn believes improvisation on set is overrated. He insists on a tight, well-crafted script before production starts, to ensures story integrity.
- Visual Planning and Color Story: He thinks visually as he writes, planning the "color story" of his films and using color swatches for each scene to match emotional and visual arc.
- Focus on the Third Act: Gunn advises writers (especially for action or spectacle films) to write a memorable climax so the third act is fast-paced, energetic, and impactful.
- Scientific Accuracy: He combines wild imagination with a "doctor-like" approach to seeing what works mechanically in a script, treating each scene as part of a machine designed to affect the audience in specific ways.
- Kill Your Darlings: Gunn uses invites iterative feedback and shares early drafts with trusted colloborators. He's prepared to cut quality pages to ensure narrative flow and conciseness.
- Tone & Texture: Hopeful Yet Grounded. Gunn balances fantasy and realism, opening with Krypto rescuing Superman in the snow to establish the tone early. He emphasized a grounded, character‑driven tone—combining seriousness, hope, humor, and warmth—without tipping into outright comedy.
James Gunn
Gunn stresses finishing scripts (resisting the urge to abandon work-in-progress too soon), learning all aspects of filmmaking, and trusting one's story instincts while refining the technical aspects of writing.
Building A Skeleton For Superman
For major projects, especially DC films, Gunn is known for creating highly detailed treatments, sometimes up to 70 pages long, which might include photographs and supplementary materials for inspiration and clarity. He likens this phase to building a skeleton for the story—a strong foundation to avoid mistakes later in the scriptwriting process. The overarching story, tone, and character arcs are clearly established before he types: FADE IN. He won't shoot before the script is tight and locked down.
When preparing to write Superman and other DC movies, Gunn drew deeply from his personal comic book history. He was determined to capture the sense of wonder, adventure, and comic-book energy that influenced him as a child, rather than just continuing tradition or defaulting to an origin story. Gunn wants to reflect the familiar "fun and community" from the comics he grew up on: a world where Superman had superhero friends, wild technology, and extraordinary adventures—not just an isolated, brooding hero contemplating the vagaries of life while saving humanity.
I was seeing a world where Superman had superhero friends and he had a Superman family. There were robots and giant monsters and he had a flying dog and technology so extreme, it seemed like sorcery.
He studied the main Superman comics, particularly those that balanced awe with heart, including All-Star Superman. He paid close attention to the mythic, imaginative, and optimistic aspects that made those stories fun and enduring. Gunn considers All‑Star Superman essential inspiration for tone of Superman, blending mythic scale with emotional realism.
Gunn advises writers to consider genre blending—taking incompatible influences and colliding them to create new, surprising story opportunities. Despite the sometimes hapahzard nature of his scripts, James Gunn's writing process for the new Superman movie was deep, thoughtful, and deliberate.
