In some absolutely shocking news, Deadline is reporting today that Disney has cut ties with Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn. The filmmaker, also responsible for the aforementioned pic’s sequel, Vol. 2, and the upcoming Vol. 3, has come under fire for “social media dispatches that touched on areas like pedophilia and rape,” leading to the studio having to let him go.
Details are still emerging, and it’s unclear what this means for the aforementioned Vol. 3, or even future MCU projects, given how involved in the franchise Gunn is, but it seems that he’ll no longer be working for Disney and as such, won’t be writing or directing anything else for Marvel and their cinematic universe.
“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,” said Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn in a statement.
Gunn has since deleted his Twitter account but before he did, he wrote:
“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.”
From what we understand, the beloved filmmaker was already knee-deep in the script for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and shooting was set to get underway in Atlanta this Fall, with a 2020 release date in mind. Now, however, it looks like things may be delayed as Marvel scrambles to find a replacement – which won’t be easy to do.
As fans will know, the success of this particular franchise rests hugely on Gunn. The writer/director was largely responsible for turning a bunch of C-list comic book characters into household names with the first film and he’s been instrumental in the success of Star-Lord and co. in the MCU. To be honest, we really can’t imagine how the series will continue on without him, but as soon as we have any further updates, we’ll be sure to let you know.