Before Superman, Nathan Fillion And James Gunn Teamed Up For This Sci-Fi Horror Comedy

Some things just go together perfectly, like peanut butter and jelly, coffee and cherry pie, and Nathan Fillion and James Gunn. The Canadian-American actor and American writer/director/co-CEO of DC Studios have been working together for decades on all kinds of projects, including Gunn's recent big screen kick-off for his DC Universe, "Superman." In "Superman," written and directed by Gunn, Fillion plays Green Lantern Guy Gardner, a very different version of the DC hero than the one many fans know and love, Hal Jordan. (Fillion previously voiced Jordan in multiple direct-to-home-media DC animated movies, but the live-action role at the time went to his former "Two Guys and a Girl" co-star Ryan Reynolds instead.)

In fact, Fillion has starred in more Gunn projects than just about anyone, save maybe Gunn's own brother Sean Gunn, going all the way back to the director's 2005 feature debut, "Slither." "Slither" is a brutally violent horror-comedy about an alien invasion in a small South Carolina town and Fillion plays the local sheriff, Bill Pardy. Along with the town's mayor (Gregg Henry), a local teen named Kylie (Tania Saulnier), and Pardy's high school sweetheart Starla (Elizabeth Banks), Bill does his best to fight off a disgusting invasion courtesy of brain-piloting slugs. To make matters worse, they're led by an alien-possessed and mutated version of Starla's husband, Grant Grant (Michael Rooker). "Slither" has romantic comedy elements, some surprising "King Kong"-esque moments that empathize with the monster, and more gross-out gore than you can shake a stick at. It's also the beginning of Fillion and Gunn's beautiful onscreen partnership, and we're all the better for it.

"Slither" is an incredible showcase of the unique tone that Gunn has honed over the years, mixing a whole lot of heart, crass comedy, and some serious horror to tell stories that are both deeply specific and somehow universal. Gunn's movies almost always tell stories about found families surviving impossible odds, and "Slither" is really the blueprint. As the survivors of the town of Wheelsy come together, they develop a kind of kinship with one another that feels like a (quickly and brutally forged) family, and a mix of gross-out humor and sardonic wit balances nicely with the hardcore body horror. Fillion plays to his own sarcastic strengths perfectly, delivering Gunn's drier lines with just the right edge of irony while still managing to be a lovable everyman and a flawed but relatable hero. (Seriously, few things are easier to understand than Sheriff Pardy seeing a bunch of people joining the mutant Grant Grant body a'la the shunting from "Society" and going, "Well, now that is some f***** up s***." Yeah, Bill, it certainly is.)

While "Slither" is probably going to be too gory for many fans who discovered Gunn through his "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies, it feels perfectly in line with the rest of his oeuvre, even his big DC Extended Univese team-up "The Suicide Squad." Really, there's basically a straight line from "Slither" to "The Suicide Squad" in terms of the humor, themes, and especially tone, and the best part is they both have Fillion. In fact, most Gunn films do, and that rules.

Fillion and Gunn have worked together quite a bit since "Slither," with their collaborations including everything from Gunn's silly online short series that spoofed pornography tropes, "James Gunn's PG Porn," to the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies. He's the Bible-based superhero The Holy Avenger in "Super," had cameos in the first two "Guardians" films, played Master Karja in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," The Detachable Kid in "The Suicide Squad," and is now Guy Gardner in "Superman." There's a lot to love in "Superman" for fans of Gunn and Fillion's previous collaborations, and it's likely that the two will continue to work together in the future in some capacity. 

Overall, there are a lot of great director-actor partnerships out there, but for my money, I'm always going to root for Gunn and Fillion. They're guaranteed to bring the laughs, some shocks, and a whole lot of heart (even when Fillion's playing a total jerk.) 

"Superman" is currently playing in theaters.