Andrew Gunn dies at 58, after shaping Disney’s early-2000s comedy era
andrew gunn, a producer tied to a run of Disney comedies in the early 2000s including Freaky Friday and Sky High, has died at 58. His family announced Monday that he passed away at his home in Toronto after being diagnosed in 2024 with ALS, the neurodegenerative disorder also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
What happened to Andrew Gunn?
Andrew Gunn had been living with ALS after a 2024 diagnosis. His family said he died at home in Toronto, and the announcement was made Monday. No additional medical details were provided beyond the diagnosis and that he died from complications of the disease.
Gunn’s death closes the story of a producer whose credits and influence were closely associated with Disney’s studio comedy and family-film output of the era, including remakes, originals, and films inspired by Disneyland rides—an approach that was particularly prominent at the time.
What happens when a producer’s “creative instinct” drives casting decisions?
During his period working under an exclusive first-look deal with Disney, Gunn helped get Freaky Friday made after pitching the idea to Nina Jacobson, then a studio executive. The project moved through an early casting plan that included Annette Bening, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Tom Selleck, but that configuration fell apart when Trachtenberg was not released from her work schedule for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The studio and Gunn then searched for new leads, casting Jamie Lee Curtis and eventually Lindsay Lohan.
The casting process included Lohan being chosen after a chemistry read, despite her initial audition not impressing. Other actresses considered in the process included Kristen Stewart, Kristen Bell, Brie Larson, and Shiri Appleby. The film became a commercial hit and earned Curtis a Golden Globe nomination in the best actress (musical or comedy) category.
Jacobson later reflected on the moment as part of a larger creative culture around those films, saying: “We made movies with genuine creative exuberance at that time and Andrew never had any shortage of that. On Freaky Friday, we were able to make a decision on a creative instinct and not by asking an algorithm on who to cast. ”
What if a sequel becomes both a professional reunion and a family milestone?
Gunn later reteamed with Curtis and Lohan for the sequel Freakier Friday, released last year. The project mattered to him on multiple levels. Professionally, it brought him back into collaboration with Kristin Burr, a former Disney executive who oversaw many of his early-2000s films, and Ann Marie Sanderlin, his partner at Gunn Films during that earlier period.
Personally, Gunn described the sequel as a rare opportunity to work alongside his own family. His two adult children, Isabelle and Connor Gunn, worked on the production—Isabelle in the camera department, and Connor in props. In a 2025 text message, he wrote that seeing them every day during the shoot was the best part of the experience and emphasized what it meant to him.
What happens when studio-era momentum meets long-term career building?
As a young producer, Gunn worked across big-budget studio comedies and family movies. He was born in Toronto in 1967, graduated from the University of Western in Canada, and moved to Los Angeles to earn a Masters in Communication Management from The Annenberg School at USC. After his studies, he entered the entertainment industry, including early work for producer David Permut, who was working on films such as Face/Off at the time.
By the late 1990s, Gunn ran development at Great Oaks Entertainment, the production company led by John Hughes. His later work remained connected to Disney projects. His filmography included titles such as The Country Bears, The Haunted Mansion, College Road Trip, Bedtime Stories, Race to Witch Mountain, Cruella, and Freakier Friday.
He also launched the Disney Writers Program in 2001, selecting five emerging, unproduced screenwriters each year for mentoring and development. The program helped advance writers including David Berenbaum, Matt Lopez, and David DiGilio.
Andrew Gunn is survived by his wife Jane Bellamy Gunn, his children Isabelle and Connor Gunn, his mother Anne Gunn, and siblings Hilary Knight, Graeme Gunn, and Cameron Gunn. He was predeceased by his father, Charles Gunn.
