Despite the cast statement, Dave Bautista’s furious tweets, and a fan petition calling for James Gunn to be reinstated as the director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it seems that the filmmaker definitely isn’t coming back to cap off his space opera trilogy. Nearly one month since he was fired from the movie due to the discovery of historic offensive joke tweets, it’s final: we won’t be getting a third Guardians film from Gunn.
According to Variety, Gunn had a meeting with Disney chairman Alan Horn to “clear the air” – but still with the resulting decision that he won’t be brought back to the film. Marvel Cinematic Universe boss Kevin Feige did not attend the meeting, and is said to stand by Disney’s decision. The sequel is still expected to use Gunn’s completed script (possibly with re-writes) with a different director coming aboard. The film was originally set to shoot next year – but with the MCU’s upcoming slate not yet officially announced, the film could possibly move back if production is delayed.
A fan campaign titled ‘Re-Hire James Gunn’ reached over 380,000 signatures online, while the film’s cast released the following group statement in support of the director:
After his removal from Guardians 3, Gunn issued a statement saying: “My words of nearly a decade ago were, at the time, totally failed and unfortunate efforts to be provocative. I have regretted them for many years since — not just because they were stupid, not at all funny, wildly insensitive, and certainly not provocative like I had hoped, but also because they don’t reflect the person I am today or have been for some time.
"Regardless of how much time has passed, I understand and accept the business decisions taken today. Even these many years later, I take full responsibility for the way I conducted myself then. All I can do now, beyond offering my sincere and heartfelt regret, is to be the best human being I can be: accepting, understanding, committed to equality, and far more thoughtful about my public statements and my obligations to our public discourse. To everyone inside my industry and beyond, I again offer my deepest apologies. Love to all."
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