James Gunn, the director of 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' and 'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.2', has been fired from directing the third movie and has had all business ties cut with Marvel and Disney effective immediately.
The move came after a number of far-right commentators resurfaced tweets from Gunn's account which dealt with jokes about pedophilia and rape. Gunn, prior to deactivating his Twitter account, was an outspoken critic of Donald Trump and the Republican Party's drift towards to extremism.
In a short statement released by Disney Studios, CEO Alan Horn said that "(the) offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James’ Twitter feed are indefensible and inconsistent with our studio’s values, and we have severed our business relationship with him." Shortly after Horn's statement, Gunn issued his own statement.
1. Many people who have followed my career know when I started, I viewed myself as a provocateur, making movies and telling jokes that were outrageous and taboo. As I have discussed publicly many times, as I’ve developed as a person, so has my work and my humor.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 20, 2018
2. It’s not to say I’m better, but I am very, very different than I was a few years ago; today I try to root my work in love and connection and less in anger. My days saying something just because it’s shocking and trying to get a reaction are over.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 20, 2018
3. In the past, I have apologized for humor of mine that hurt people. I truly felt sorry and meant every word of my apologies.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 20, 2018
4. For the record, when I made these shocking jokes, I wasn’t living them out. I know this is a weird statement to make, and seems obvious, but, still, here I am, saying it.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 20, 2018
5. Anyway, that’s the completely honest truth: I used to make a lot of offensive jokes. I don’t anymore. I don’t blame my past self for this, but I like myself more and feel like a more full human being and creator today. Love you to you all.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 20, 2018
"Many people who have followed my career know when I started, I viewed myself as a provocateur, making movies and telling jokes that were outrageous and taboo. As I have discussed publicly many times, as I’ve developed as a person, so has my work and my humor," said Gunn.
"It’s not to say I’m better, but I am very, very different than I was a few years ago; today I try to root my work in love and connection and less in anger. My days saying something just because it’s shocking and trying to get a reaction are over. In the past, I have apologized for humor of mine that hurt people. I truly felt sorry and meant every word of my apologies."
As of now, no replacement writer / director has been found for 'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.3', as production was rumoured to begin in the coming months with a release date tentatively expected for 2020 - though nothing official had been confirmed. Given how far into pre-production Gunn was, it now seems likely that this date will be pushed back to 2021.
