Disney may be standing by their decision to fire James Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but it seems that some fans aren’t ready to give up the fight quite yet, raising over $4,000 to put up a digital billboard showing solidarity with the filmmaker who was dismissed back in July for incendiary tweets.
“Save the Galaxy: James Gunn for Vol. 3,” reads the text on the sign stationed just outside of Anaheim, CA, followed by the address for RehireJamesGunn.com. It’s a project that was coordinated by a group of Gunn’s defenders, including one Giuseppe Cincinnato, who recently explained how they wanted to show the Guardians helmsman that he still has his fans.
“We really love Gunn as both a creator and the man we’ve seen him mature into,” Cincinnato told THR. “Even if this wasn’t going to cause Disney to see their mistake, we could at least show James Gunn how much support he has in his corner of the galaxy.”
It’s a nice tribute to a director whose dismissal was met with heavy condemnation, though realistically speaking, it very much looks like Gunn’s Marvel days are behind him. While the filmmaker’s script is reportedly still being used for the third Guardians of the Galaxy, the recent rumor is that the studio has put together a shortlist of directors, including Top of the Lake’s Jane Campion and Mudbound’s Dee Rees. Perhaps that’s little more than hearsay, but either way, Marvel Studios seem set on getting this threequel made, even if it’ll be a long wait before the movie makes it to theaters.
In the meantime, Gunn has already found new work as the writer and possible director of Suicide Squad 2, and since we’re getting soft reboot vibes from this project, it sounds like Warner Bros. has almost as much faith in the guy as his fans.
In any case, it could be a while before we see another Gunn-penned project reach the big screen, but despite the controversy surrounding Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it’s clear that there are a lot of fans out there who are eager to see what he brings us next.