James Gunn says ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ "forevermore changed" his life.

The 55-year-old director marked eight years since the release of the original 2014 Marvel blockbuster - which starred Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista and Zoe Saldana - on Twitter.

He wrote on Monday (01.08.22): “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 opened exactly 8 years ago today (and my life changed forevermore).”

Last week, the ‘Suicide Squad’ helmer admitted that newest and third flick - which was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic - might be his “favourite movie” but not his “favourite shooting experience” while discussing if he preferred the Holiday Special or the new one, which is due out in May 2023.

Responding to a fan question on Twitter last week, James wrote: “The Holiday Special was a pure joy. Vol 3 was very difficult for a billion reasons, beginning with its size and complexity. It might be my favorite movie but it probably wasn’t my favorite shooting experience, other than the love I have for the whole team. (sic)"

Recently, James revealed that the new film is more “mature” than the others in the superhero series.

He said: “It's an incredibly emotional story. Much more mature than the other Guardian stories in a way because, you know, we started making these movies that were 10, 11 years old when they saw the first one, and now they're 20, 21 years old. The movie has grown up with them.”

James also commented on the teaser, which debuted at San Diego Comic-Con, before it leaked online.

He said: “But it’s not just Marvel, it’s also me. Although I love the teaser some VFX aren’t where I’d want them to be for repeated views close inspection - remember we didn’t wrap long ago - so you’ll have to wait just a beat! Sorry!”