Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 put on hold until further notice after Disney fire James Gunn

The halt is reported to be more of a temporary 'regrouping' as Marvel and Disney negotiate a new director to step into Gunn's place

Production on Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been put on hold until further notice, following the dismissal of director James Gunn.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the small crew that was currently prepping preproduction have been dismissed and told they are free to look for new work. Filming was originally set to begin either in January or February, with full preproduction commencing in the fall.

Sources have stated that the halt is more of a temporary "regrouping" as Marvel and Disney negotiate a new director to step into Gunn's place. One source said Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi recently met with Marvel, but there's no indication as to what project was discussed.

There is also no indication as to whether Gunn's already completed script will be used and, since Disney never set a release date for the sequel, how this delay affects Marvel's greater slate.

Gunn was fired last month after alt-right commentators, in response to the director's vocal political position, unearthed old, controversial tweets in which he joked about paedophilia and rape.

Disney has made the decision not to reinstate Gunn, with studio head Alan Horn having met with the director to discuss his future with Disney as "a courtesy to clear the air". Marvel president Kevin Feige – while rumoured to be supporting Gunn’s reinstatement – is said to stand by Disney’s ultimate decision.

However, Disney will still have to soothe tensions with the Guardians cast, who signed an open letter supporting his re-hiring. Dave Bautista, who plays Drax, has said the prospect of working on the sequel without Gunn was “nauseating.”

Gunn previously apologised for the ill-judged tweets ahead of his employment by Disney for the first Guardians of the Galaxy back in 2012. Disney claims it had no idea they existed and only learned about them when they recirculated.

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