Former Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn has spoken about working with Marvel again after being fired amid past tweets, with Marvel president Kevin Feige adding his own two cents.
While Gunn had previously directed the first two Galaxy films which received mass popularity from fans around the world, he was abruptly cast out of the role after his historic crude jokes came to light.
After some pretty dark tweets resurfaced containing jokes about rape and paedophilia, the former director was soon sacked by the superhero brand in 2018 due to public backlash.
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Having apologised for the tweets when they were first circulating, his firing only happened after they were brought to the forefront again in what was thought to be a plan from right-wing social media users to kick him out of his role after criticising the then-US president, Donald Trump.
Following the backlash, Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn made a statement to The Hollywood Reporter confirming Gunn’s firing: “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.”
It didn’t take long though until Gunn was rehired by the chairman and was appointed as the director of the third instalment of the Galaxy franchise as well as a Christmas special for Disney+ the following year.
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According to Gunn, Horn was a central part in his firing, but the cast of Guardians rallied behind him and petitioned for his return to the franchise.
In the interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Feige admitted that they hadn’t ever interviewed a replacement for Gunn during his time away from the films.
He stated: “We didn’t even put a preliminary list together just because we couldn’t do it.
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“We couldn’t stomach it.”
Gunn noted that he heard that the chairman was losing sleep over the decision and regretted it.
He said: “It’s a 100 percent because Alan Horn felt sick. He did it because he thought it was the right thing to do.”
Though Horn has refused to comment on the rehiring decision, he has instead praised the director for how he handled himself during the firing.
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Horn said: “Everything he did subsequently was first class.
“He was such a gentleman about it in the ensuing months that we just brought him back. It felt like the right thing to do. I hold him in absolute high regard.”
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 will be hitting the big screen on 3 May where fans get their fill of superhero action.
UNILAD has reached out to Marvel for comment.
Topics: James Gunn, Kevin Feige, Marvel, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Disney, Chris Pratt, News, US News
Britt Jones