Here's where to spot James Gunn mentor and Troma founder Lloyd Kaufman in Guardians Of The Galaxy. Guardians Of The Galaxy is based on the somewhat obscure Marvel comic of the same name, and the movie was seen as something of a gamble for the MCU at the time. It clearly paid off, receiving glowing reviews and becoming a huge hit, in addition to making a movie star of Chris Pratt. It was also the first blockbuster for director James Gunn, who was previously known for darker genre work like Slither.
James Gunn and his cast returned for 2017's Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, which expanded the scope while reuniting Star-Lord with his long-lost father Ego, played by the one and only Kurt Russell. The team returned once again for Avengers: Infinity War, which saw them cross paths with Thor and play a major role in the story. The movie didn't end on a great note for most of the Guardians, though they were reunited again in Avengers: Endgame.
James Gunn launched his filmmaking career with the legendary Troma Entertainment, writing their twisted take on Romeo And Juliet with the fittingly titled Tromeo And Juliet in 1996. This featured the classic Troma formula of violence and bad taste and is one of their better-received efforts. He went on to work on other Troma productions like Terror Firmer before going his own way, but Gunn has often credited Troma founder Lloyd Kaufman with launching his career. Gunn even co-wrote Kaufman's autobiography All I Need to Know About Filmmaking I Learned From The Toxic Avenger, while Kaufman cameoed in most of the director's movies, including Guardians Of The Galaxy.
Sadly, Lloyd Kaufman isn't given much to do during his appearance and is seen in a crowd of prisoners throwing things at Chris Pratt's Star-Lord when the gang head to prison. Outside of Guardians Of The Galaxy, Lloyd Kaufman is something of a cameo machine, having appeared in everything from Rocky - which he worked on behind the scenes - as "Drunk" to Crank: High Voltage and Hatchet II.
Lloyd Kaufman later revealed in a Vice interview he hated making his Guardians Of The Galaxy cameo as it made him feel like a footnote in a so-called "real" movie. Still, he was touched by a speech Gunn made to the crew about his old boss during his time on the set. When he's done directing The Suicide Squad for DC, James Gunn is set to return for Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3.
