By It’s over, folks. After a month of wondering whether Disney would reinstate James Gunn, the company has reaffirmed that Gunn would not be returning to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
This news comes after a meeting between Gunn and Alan Horn, chairman of Walt Disney Studios. According to Variety, the meeting was civil, but the consensus remained the same: Gunn would not be back to helm the final Guardians movie. President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige was not at the meeting, but expressed his support for Horn’s decision.
Gunn was infamously fired from the project after several distasteful tweets Gunn made were brought into the eye of the public thanks to the likes of Mike Cernovich. Many of said tweets were ill-advised jokes about rape and pedophilia, making Disney’s immediate response to can Gunn understandable, considering the company’s squeaky-clean brand.
Many members of the cast, including Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana, implored Disney to bring Gunn back as director via an Instagram post penned and signed by Pratt and several other cast members. However, it seems that despite causing Disney some bad press, their show of support failed to change the heart of the mouse. Production on Guardians Vol 3. is slated for 2019, but with only a few months left in the year, Disney will have to find someone to direct the film quickly. Maybe Ron Howard’s still around?
Personally, this isn’t the outcome I’d hoped for. Gunn’s tweets are trash, but bending to the whims of an internet mob is a lousy thing to do. It isn’t incomprehensible though; Disney needs to protect it’s brand; what’s it matter to them if they axe another talented director who successfully brought an obscure comic book property to the big screen?
Well, what do you guys think?
Disney Stands Firm on James Gunn Not Returning to ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (EXCLUSIVE) [Variety]