Film director James Gunn, who was sacked by the Disney studio in July last year after decade-old offensive social media posts resurfaced, has been reinstated. Gunn will now return to his role as director of the film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn. Notably, when Gunn was sacked, members of the Guardians of the Galaxy cast spoke out in his support, including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper and Dave Bautista. At the time it was felt the film was almost certain not to proceed without Gunn, as the cast had been so vocal in their support.<doc-sep>EXCLUSIVE: Redemption and second chances have long been superhero movie staples, and today it looks like life has imitated art. I’ve learned that Disney has reinstated James Gunn as the writer-director of Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and I’ve confirmed it with Marvel and Gunn’s camp. Shutterstock The decision to rehire Gunn –he was fired last July by Disney after alt-right journalists made public a fusillade of decade old social media missives that made light of pedophilia and rape — was one that was mulled and actually made months ago, following conversations with Disney studio leadership and the team at Marvel Studios. Why the change of heart? After the firing, Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn met with Gunn on multiple occasions to discuss the situation. Persuaded by Gunn’s public apology and his handling of the situation after, Horn decided to reverse course and reinstate Gunn. The social media messages were indefensible, but the filmmaker never did anything but blame himself for poor judgment displayed at a time when he was emerging from the Troma film factory and attempting to be a provocateur. There were no reports that Gunn ever engaged in the behavior he lampooned. Unlike the defensive posture exhibited by Kevin Hart that led him to skip hosting the Oscars, Gunn fell on his sword early and often and never lashed out at Disney. Ultimately, Gunn’s missives were poorly chosen words and not actions, though Disney’s quick trigger was completely understandable when the social media messages were first reported by outlets like Fox News. Those outlets reported that Gunn’s missives were exposed as payback for Gunn being a vocal critic of President Donald Trump. Gunn’s return to Guardians of the Galaxy 3 got complicated when he signed on to write and direct the Suicide Squad sequel for Warner Bros and DC. Marvel Studios has agreed to commence production on Guardians of the Galaxy 3 after Gunn completes Suicide Squad 2. Making the whole thing easier though was the fact that Marvel Studios never met with or considered any other director for Guardians of the Galaxy 3, despite speculation that Thor: Ragnarok helmer Taika Waititi and Vice helmer Adam McKay were in the mix. Marvel Studios Marvel Studios has remained mum on all details concerning Guardians of the Galaxy 3, as the Kevin Feige-led division turned its focus toward Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame. Marvel this week set Destin Daniel Cretton to direct Shang-Chi. Prior to his dismissal, Gunn had written a script which Marvel confirmed would be used for the third Guardians of the Galaxy installment. I expect Gunn to confirm all this as he supports the release of Brightburn, the David Yarovevsky-directed Elizabeth Banks-starrer that he produced and Sony releases May 24. Disney There will be an inevitable chorus of those who will gripe about Gunn’s return, but creatively, Guardians will benefit from his return. The entire cast of the film was outspoken in its desire to have Gunn back, saying that those satiric tweets did not match his personal actions. The cast clearly loves him; Chris Pratt, Zoey Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Sean Gunn, Michael Rooker and Pom Klementieff all pleaded for Gunn’s return, in an open letter. The controversy shattered the camaraderie that the cast had with the filmmaker and put a strongly performing franchise in limbo. Marvel has done a great job allowing its filmmakers to inject their personalities into each franchise, and perhaps none has been as stamped by one filmmaker as Gunn on Guardians. The first two installments grossed over $1.6 billion worldwide, with the sequel outgrossing the first picture. Soon after the announcement of Gunn’s firing, fans circulated a petition urging Disney to reconsider. On October 31, a fan crowdfunded billboard went up in Anaheim, CA to rehire Gunn. Disney is days from closing its acquisition of the assets of Fox and while the company will always be family first, it is somehow reassuring that there is room for second chances, and for a good director to have a chance to overcome a colossally stupid mistake. UTA and The Safran Company rep Gunn. This was the apology Gunn delivered last July: “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.”<doc-sep>Disney has reinstated James Gunn as the director of Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, reversing a decision to drop the filmmaker. Deadline was first to report the news, and Polygon has since confirmed the director’s return to the movie with Gunn’s representatives. Gunn was fired by Disney in July 2018 after a series of offensive and controversial tweets were resurfaced and publicized by far-right internet trolls as part of a campaign to discredit the director. Gunn’s tweets, some of them a decade old, included jokes about rape and pedophilia. At the time, Walt Disney chairman Alan Horn called Gunn’s tweets “offensive” and “indefensible and inconsistent with our studio’s values” in a statement announcing Gunn’s termination. But Gunn received widespread support from comedians and actors, including the cast of the Guardians of the Galaxy films, after he was fired, believing that Gunn was unfairly targeted by far-right activists with a political ax to grind. Actors Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Sean Gunn, Pom Klementieff, and Michael Rooker signed a joint statement saying they “fully support” Gunn, but did not specifically call for him to be reinstated by Disney. In the intervening months, Gunn was hired to write and direct Suicide Squad 2 for Warner Bros. Gunn’s reps say Marvel will commence production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after the director wraps up production of the next Suicide Squad film, which is set to hit movie theaters on Aug. 6, 2021. Update (3:12 p.m.): On Twitter, Gunn expressed gratitude for the support he’s received from fans and colleagues. “I deeply appreciate Disney’s decision and I am excited to continue making films that investigate the ties of love that bind us all,” Gunn wrote. “I have been and continue to be incredibly humbled by your love and support.” Gunn’s full statement is below.<doc-sep>Director James Gunn at the El Capitan Theatre Hosts Screening Of Disney And Marvel Studios' 'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2' held at El Capitan Theatre on May 4, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. James Gunn has been rehired by Disney's Marvel Studios to helm "Guardians of the Galaxy 3" after being pulled from the project last summer, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC. The director was fired after social media posts he had made a decade ago making light of pedophilia and rape had been made public. However, the studio was swayed by Gunn's public apology and decided to reverse its decision and bring Gunn back into the fold. Deadline was the first to report the news Friday. Earlier this month, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige confirmed that Gunn's script for the third installment of "Guardians of the Galaxy" would be used when the film eventually began shooting. At that time, no comment was made about Gunn returning to the project. Actors from the film including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Bradley Cooper signed an open letter last July asking the studio to reinstate Gunn. Gunn was a writer and the director of the previous two films, which have become fan favorite movies in Marvel's Cinematic Universe for its plucky humor and use of '80s music. "Guardians of the Galaxy" took in $773 million worldwide in 2014 and its sequel "Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2" earned $863 million at the global box office. Representatives for Disney were not immediately available to comment. The person who spoke to CNBC requested anonymity because the matter is confidential. Gunn's reinstatement will not impact his commitment to write and direct "Suicide Squad 2," a DC comic film produced through rival Warner Bros which he signed onto last October. According to Deadline, Marvel has agreed to wait to produce "Guardians 3" until after Gunn completes "Suicide Squad 2." Deadline also reported that Marvel Studios had not met with or considered any other director for "Guardians 3," despite rumors that Taika Waititi ("Thor Ragnorak") and Adam McKay ("Vice") were in talks for the position.<doc-sep>
Disney reinstates James Gunn for Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Deadline is reporting that Disney has reinstated James Gunn as the writer and director of Guardians of the Galaxy 3. The outlet says that Walt Disney Studios president Horn met with the filmmaker multiple times to discuss the controversy over Gunn’s firing last July. Horn reversed the decision after being persuaded by Gunn’s public apology and how he handled the situation. Even though Gunn signed on to write and direct the Suicide Squad sequel for Warner Bros. and DC, Marvel Studios apparently never considered another director to helm Guardians of the Galaxy 3. The studio plans to move forward with the third installment in the trilogy once The Suicide Squad is complete. RELATED: Meet the New Characters of The Suicide Squad Sequel Back in July, Walt Disney Studios dismissed Gunn from the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 due to Gunn’s past controversial tweets. Despite this, the Guardians of the Galaxy‘s main cast including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn and Bautista, who all still supported him and asked for Disney to reinstate Gunn as the film’s director. Early in 2018, director James Gunn revealed that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 would be released in 2020. Filming was scheduled to start this Fall in Atlanta, but will likely be delayed until after The Suicide Squad is finished with production. The third Guardians film is meant to be the final outing for the original team lineup, setting up future films in the cosmic arena of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)