James Gunn Opens Up On Being Fired By Marvel

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 director James Gunn talks about his time when he was fired by Marvel and Disney, revealing the ‘painful time’ he went through.

Back in 2018, a year after the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, director and writer James Gunn was highlighted for posting controversial social media posts regarding paedophilia and the Holocaust. These posts in question dated back between 2008 and up until 2012. Gunn did admit to his mistakes and said that he was a different person when he made those posts.

This prompted Disney and Marvel to fire Gunn. For a time, it was even considered that GOTG would move on without the director, considering that there was a script already done before Gunn was fired. Jon Favreau, Taika Waititi, the Russo Brothers and even Bradley Cooper were considered to take the helm.

Disney chairman Alan Horn rehired Gunn just a few months after, mainly because Horn was impressed with how Gunn handled the troubling situation. At the time, Gunn already accepted to make The Suicide Squad for DC Films. This, in turn, forced the production of GOTG Vol 3 to continue only after his projects under DC were done.

James Gunn Talks About Being Fired By Disney

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In an interview with the Greek news site OneMan, Gunn was asked about what he thought about his old tweets, which got him fired from Disney and Marvel years later. He said:

In a sense it was a terribly painful time, and there are times when I remember it when I say, “Oh my God, why were you so stupid?” On the other hand, I am also grateful for that time, because I think it came at a time in my life when I needed it. I had forgotten why I make movies.

What was important to me. I also didn’t know how much my people loved me. I was distracted by that. When this happened, I was suddenly the hard-working person, who could rely on his status and fame to get love.

After being fired, James Gunn received strong support from fans, actors, and celebrities. Many people petitioned for his return, and the entire cast of Guardians of the Galaxy released a statement expressing their support for him. Gunn continued:

Suddenly I realized that they had the most wonderful people by my side. My partner who is now my wife, my parents, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Karen and Pom. Everyone supported me. You sometimes think that people love you because you have power, but in this case it just wasn’t the case.

They loved me because they just loved me for me. He was there no matter what. Whatever the outcome. They didn’t support me because I make movies. This has been a huge life lesson for me and I am truly grateful.

James Gunn Reveals ‘Painful Experience’ With Marvel Firing

Credit: Marvel Studios

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Gunn had a troubling, difficult time when he was fired by Disney, but it did open doors that he couldn’t even imagine he would be into at the time.

James Gunn’s return to Marvel and Disney has been met with enthusiastic support. Initially, there were discussions of Gunn taking a break from filmmaking after completing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Many even reported that the writer-director would be retiring.

But before he could even finish GOTG Vol 3, Gunn was given the opportunity to lead the newly established DC Studios under Warner Bros. Discovery which came from the ashes of DC Films and WarnerMedia. His background working under Kevin Feige, his success with Peacemaker, and his love for the genre, let’s add the fact that his calm and composed nature made him a perfect candidate to lead and reestablish the DC Universe.

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