James Gunn Sheds Secluded Celeb-Pedigreed Pad
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Superhero specialist filmmaker James Gunn has sold a secluded estate nipped away the rolling foothills above Malibu’s Big Rock Beach for not quite $6.9 million. Now at work on the upcoming “Suicide Squad” sequel and the long-planned “Starsky and Hutch” reboot, the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise filmmaker acquired the showbiz-pedigreed retreat almost three years ago for $6.2 million.
Owned in the early 1990s by Olivia Newton John, Sally Field bought the supremely private hideaway in 2004 for about $4.8 million and sold it in 2011 for a wee bit more than $5.5 million. Entirely invisible from the street down a long and gated driveway that cuts through a dense stand of trees, the slightly more than 3.2-acre spread backs up to state-owned parklands with five bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms and four fireplaces in roughly 6,800 square feet.
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With lustrous, medium-brown oak floorboards, bright white walls and huge windows that provide over-the-treetop vistas of the surrounding mountaintops, the vast, open-plan living space spokes off around a central, white brick fireplace with several distinct sitting areas and a dining space that comfortably seats a dozen. Open to the dining area under a vaulted and beamed ceiling, the up-to-date farmhouse-inspired kitchen is zhuzhed up with a shimmering backsplash, white marble countertops, brass fixtures and name-brand stainless steel appliances.
Some easily converted to a home gym or media lounge, guest and family bedrooms, are located on the main floor, while the multi-room master suite presides over the entire second floor. Plenty large enough to accommodate a roomy sitting area with a full wall of French doors that open to a private terrace, the cavernous bedroom is painted a serene shade of cornflower blue and a dressing room leads a cozy, sun-filled study and a bathroom with an intricately patterned tile floor.
The Woolsey Fire in 2018 burned right up to edge of the rustic-luxe estate’s meandering, mostly wooded and still verdant grounds. One side of the house opens to a swimming pool surrounded by brick terracing and large decks while the opposite side other has a long, trellis-covered veranda that overlooks a wooded slope laced with shaded pathways. There’s a equestrian stabling block and a small barn converted to an alfresco lounge as well as a lighted tennis court with a lean-to shade structure and, next to a children’s play structure, a wigwam decked out with built-in fire pit, a couple of futon sofas and several dream catchers.
The property was listed with Kent Winter and Jeff Chertow, both of Pinnacle Estate Properties, and the buyer was represented in the transaction by Alicia Drake of The Agency.
Launch Gallery: James Gunn Sells Sally Fields' Former House
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