← Back to list

James Gunn fired from Guardians of the Galaxy 3

Jul 21, 2018

Disney has sacked Guardians of the Galaxy 3 director James Gunn after several old, offensive social media posts resurfaced and were widely shared. 

In the tweets, Gunn allegedly made jokes about rape and paedophilia.

Gunn has already apologised for the tweets. 

1. 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.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 20, 2018

2. 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.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 20, 2018

3. In the past, I have apologized for humor of mine that hurt people. I truly felt sorry and meant every word of my apologies.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 20, 2018

4. For the record, when I made these shocking jokes, I wasn’t living them out. I know this is a weird statement to make, and seems obvious, but, still, here I am, saying it.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 20, 2018

5. Anyway, that’s the completely honest truth: I used to make a lot of offensive jokes. I don’t anymore. I don’t blame my past self for this, but I like myself more and feel like a more full human being and creator today. Love you to you all.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 20, 2018

There's no word yet on who will replace Gunn on Guardians 3, or if this will delay the movie's planned release date in 2020.