In July last year, GOTG Vol.1 and Vol. 2 director, James Gunn was fired by Disney after his old offensive tweets resurfaced on the internet.
However, according to Hollywood Reporter, Disney has reversed their earlier decision and has hired him again to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
According to Deadline, the decision to rehire Gunn was actually made months ago, following conversations with Disney studio leadership and the team at Marvel Studio.
Gunn, a once avid Twitter user who hasn’t tweeted since being fired, sent out a message to fans thanking them for their continued support.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) March 15, 2019
Gunn’s departure was met with criticism by reporters and even those working with Marvel.
I will do what Im legally obligated to do but @Guardians without @JamesGunn is not what I signed up for. GOTG w/o @JamesGunn just isn’t GOTG. Its also pretty nauseating to work for someone who’d empower a smear campaign by fascists #cybernazis . That’s just how I feel https://t.co/Ym4FwruVDu
— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) August 5, 2018
His return was met with mixed reactions on Twitter.
Glad James Gunn is back.
— Andrew Yang (@AndrewYangVFA) March 15, 2019
I’m glad that he was given the opportunity after apologizing for his mistakes made long before he made GofG
— Tim Apple Jokes ⚾️ (@goodapplejokes) March 16, 2019
BTW anyone who says Disney rehiring James Gunn doesn’t change the image of the company doesn’t “get” Disney. Which is totally fine. Maybe that’s the future of the company, but it IS abandoning the core values that have made it what it is today.
— Grace Randolph (@GraceRandolph) March 16, 2019
And Taika Waititi was, well…
What the hell?? I thought I was going to do it!! https://t.co/Emdfiw6Opa
— Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) March 15, 2019
Since his firing, Gunn has agreed to helm Suicide Squad 2 for Warner Bros which is set to be released next year.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is in development, but was pushed back from its original 2020 release date.
