James Gunn ‘shocked’ an actor he’s worked with 9 times became a pivotal part of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’

Any project that features James Gunn in any capacity will almost inevitable feature at least one of his regular collaborators, with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 coming under fire for relying on the nepotism that’s come to dog the Marvel Cinematic Universe veteran and DC Studios co-CEO’s career for a number of years.

While there’s no harm in working with people you know and trust, there are occasions where the shoehorning in of Gunn’s nearest and dearest at all costs can be overbearing. And yet, despite having worked with him on nine previous occasions – with a 10th in the works after he was confirmed for the Creature Commandos ensemble – the filmmaker claimed to Collider that he was shocked at how important his own brother Sean’s character Kraglin had become in the overall scheme of the Guardians trilogy.

“The most different was Kraglin because he was just the first mate who I gave a name to and I didn’t know that he was going to become such a main part of the Guardians of the Galaxy. I never would have thought he was gonna be on the poster with a head-fin. That just kind of developed. And also because it was cheaper because we already had hired Sean for Rocket, and so we saved money by also giving him another character.”

This is of course the same Sean Gunn who – as well as being related by blood – was cast by his sibling in Super, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad, and the aforementioned Creature Commandos. He was also part of short-lived series James Gunn’s PG Porn, played a part in the James-scripted Tromeo and Juliet, and lent support in James-produced horror The Belko Experiment.

And yet, the Vol. 3 architect still seems surprised that his own kin ended up as such an integral cog in the Guardians machine, even if he might be the only one.