Writer/director James Gunn recently reached out to the internet for help with a project he's currently writing. While he wouldn't name the script he needed it for, Gunn asked his followers on Twitter how they prefer to spell the word "asshat". He claimed that the poll settled the matter forever -- and the Merriam-Webster dictionary backed him up."'Asshat' it is, now and forever, for the entire world, because of this twitter poll," Gunn wrote, CC-ing Merriam-Webster into his tweet. The official account for Merriam-Webster replied, "We agree."
The Merriam-Webster dictionary is one of the world's most utilized references, providing official definitions for some words and canonizing others. Thanks to Gunn, "asshat" now holds an official spelling.
Gunn is a prolific screenwriter as well as a director. His screenwriting credits include the Dawn of the Dead remake directed by Zack Snyder, as well as the live-action Scooby-Doo film and its sequel, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. He is best known for his work on the Guardians of the Galaxy films for the Marvel Cinematic Universe; the third installment has not yet received a release date.
Gunn's current film project is The Suicide Squad, based on the DC Comics black-ops team of the same name. The Suicide Squad revealed its cast of characters and a behind the scenes look during the DC FanDome virtual event on August 22.
Written and directed by James Gunn, The Suicide Squad stars Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg, Michael Rooker as Savant, Flula Borg as Javelin, David Dastmalchian, as Polka-Dot Man, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher, Idris Elba as Bloodsport, Mayling NG as Mongal, Peter Capaldi as The Thinker, Alice Braga as Solsoria, Steve Agee as King Shark, Pete Davidson as Blackguard, Nathan Fillion as TDK, Sean Gunn as Weasel, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, John Cena as Peacemaker, Taika Waititi and Storm Reid. The film arrives in theaters Aug. 6, 2021.