Guardians of the Galaxy and Suicide Squad Director James Gunn wants to create a twisted take on Gilligan's Island.
Responding to a Twitter challenge to "pitch a movie with two pictures, no caption," Gunn posted a picture of the cast of Gilligan's Island alongside an image depicting cannibalism. In a follow-up tweet, Gunn said the idea wasn't meant to be a joke.
"A true story: In the late 90’s screenwriting GOAT Charlie Kaufman pitched a movie version of Gilligan’s Island where the islanders, starving & desperate, started killing & eating each other," Gunn wrote. "Warner Bros wanted to do it – but Sherwood Schwartz, the creator, said no way."
A true story: In the late 90’s screenwriting GOAT Charlie Kaufman pitched a movie version of Gilligan’s Island where the islanders, starving & desperate, started killing & eating each other. Warner Bros wanted to do it – but Sherwood Schwartz, the creator, said no way.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) October 13, 2021
Gunn says he later tried to resurrect the idea, but Sherwood Schwartz's estate said no.
The classic 1960s sitcom originally ran for three seasons from 1964 to 1967. The show featured seven castaways stranded on an island after a "three-hour tour" goes horribly wrong. The episodes depict the main characters working together to survive on the island, despite their lifestyle differences. In Gunn's proposed version, it seems things wouldn't have gone quite as swimmingly.
Gunn is currently busy with multiple superhero projects. Besides the release of The Suicide Squad earlier this year, he's also behind the upcoming Peacemaker spinoff starring John Cena. On the Marvel side, he's working on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 which recently cast the role of Adam Warlock.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.