James Gunn has been fired from directorial chair by Walt Disney Studios, and will cease writing the script for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. effective immediately. Provocative Tweets Gunn had written between 2008-2009 were brought to the attention of studio execs, on topics such as pedophilia, rape, and his publicly known derision of President Trump.
Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn issued a statement this afternoon in which he deemed Gunn's decade-old Tweets indefensible. "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," read the press release.
Gunn filed a response of his own towards a general audience. Considering the damage had already been dealt, the veteran filmmaker felt little need to distance himself from his "problematic" ideologies or his conduct as a person of influence. His statement read:
"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."
"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."
The Tweets in question resurfaced when a conservative website called the The Daily Caller dug into his backlog, and presented an oppositional stance to his stated views. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was scheduled to begin shooting in the fall of 2020, a date which will certainly get pushed backed by some months.