James Gunn has been the driving force behind the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, but after some of his old tweets which featured jokes about pedophilia and rape resurfaced online, Disney issued the following statement confirming he has been fired:
“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,” Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn said in a statement.
James Gunn has since released his own statement saying that he takes full responsibility for the situation, and the statement reads as follows:
“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.”
James Gunn’s tweets were posted between 2008 and 2011, and he came under fire from right-wing conservatives due to his criticism of current President of the United States Donald Trump.
Gunn had been working on the script for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” which was planned for a 2020 release, but as of this writing Marvel Studios have yet to provide an update on who will be taking over for Gunn.
