James Gunn has directed two very successful Guardians of the Galaxy movies, but now he has been fired from the upcoming third film in the series. This move comes after some old tweets were uncovered in which he joked about topics like pedophilia and rape.
Disney, which owns the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, made the announcement that it was severing ties with Gunn. Studio exec Alan Horn said, "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."
Gunn hadn't yet begun shootings Guardians 3, although he had been confirmed as director.
Gunn was an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, and his years-old jokes were uncovered by conservative enemies. See the jokes that got Gunn fired here.
After these jokes were uncovered, Gunn wrote in a series of tweets:
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… 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… In the past, I have apologized for humor of mine that hurt people. I truly felt sorry and meant every word of my apologies… 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… 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.
In addition to directing, Gunn co-wrote the first Guardians of the Galaxy film from 2014, and received sole writing credit for the 2017 sequel.
Disney, which owns the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, made the announcement that it was severing ties with Gunn. Studio exec Alan Horn said, "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."
Gunn hadn't yet begun shootings Guardians 3, although he had been confirmed as director.
Gunn was an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, and his years-old jokes were uncovered by conservative enemies. See the jokes that got Gunn fired here.
After these jokes were uncovered, Gunn wrote in a series of tweets:
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… 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… In the past, I have apologized for humor of mine that hurt people. I truly felt sorry and meant every word of my apologies… 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… 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.
In addition to directing, Gunn co-wrote the first Guardians of the Galaxy film from 2014, and received sole writing credit for the 2017 sequel.
