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Disney won’t re-hire James Gunn as director of Guardians of the Galaxy 3
The studio reportedly met with Gunn 'to clear the air'
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Your support makes all the difference.Disney and Marvel have decided not to reinstate James Gunn as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after firing him last month.
The studio head Alan Horn met with Gunn to discuss his future with Disney as “a courtesy to clear the air” with the filmmaker.
According to Variety, Marvel president Kevin Feige – while rumoured to be supporting Gunn’s reinstatement – stands by Disney’s ultimate decision.
Gunn’s firing came after an alt-right site unearthed controversial tweets the director made in which he joked about paedophilia and rape following his criticism of Trump.
Recent reports stated there were no plans to re-hire him as director despite a backlash from the world of celebrity including his Guardians cast who signed an open letter supporting his re-hiring. Dave Bautista later said the prospect of working on the sequel without Gunn was “nauseating.”
Disney bosses announced they had “severed” ties with Gunn branding his comments “indefensible and inconsistent with [its] values.“
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.
There has been no word on who could replace James Gunn, though many are calling upon Disney to hire a female director in his place. It’s also unclear whether Disney bosses plan to use his script which has already been completed.
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Comedian Jerry Seinfeld is the latest star to support Gunn, telling The New York Times that, while he’s yet to read the jokes, he believes if Gunn’s words were intended to be funny “then it doesn’t matter.”
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