Disney Rehires James Gunn to Direct Guardians of the Galaxy 3 After Firing Him Over Offensive Tweets

Director James Gunn has been rehired to direct Guardians of the Galaxy 3 after he was fired by Disney over decade-old tweets that joked about rape and abuse. It comes after famous cast members from the Marvel series signed an open letter pleading for Gunn's return.

The decision to re-hire Gunn was “mulled and actually made months ago, following conversations with Disney studio leadership and the team at Marvel Studio,” according to Deadline. Gunn, a once avid Twitter user who hasn’t tweeted since being fired, sent out a message to fans thanking them for their continued support.

In the tweet he said he is "excited to continue making films that investigate the ties of love that bind us all". He was fired last July over the tweets that Disney called "indefensible".

Chairman Alan Horn issued a statement at the time of the original incident calling “the offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James’ Twitter feed are indefensible and inconsistent with our studio’s values,” at the time. The tweets were from nearly a decade ago, and had drawn criticism from other outlets in the past.

Gunn’s departure was met with criticism by reporters, Hollywood insiders, and even those working within Marvel. Stars from the first two films in the franchise had openly supported Gunn after his dismissal, including Bradley Cooper, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel and Dave Bautista.

The Guardians of the Galaxy series has grossed over $1.6bn (£1.2bn) worldwide, with the sequel surpassing the earnings seen by the first film.

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