This past weekend, the core Guardians cast broke their silence regarding Disney’s decision to part ways with James Gunn, erstwhile director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and a key creative figure in the wider MCU.
It was an announcement that rocked the industry, and it’s only now, 10 days after the Mouse House made the call, that we’re beginning to wrap our heads around everything that’s transpired. But some aren’t ready to wave the white flag just yet; over at TMZ (h/t Cinema Blend), Sean Gunn has explained exactly why he signed the open letter calling on Disney to reinstate his brother at the helm of Guardians 3.
I’m not really in that game of figuring out what a massive media company is going to do, but I’m just happy to support my brother. I’m happy to see other people support him. There’s been a lot of lies spread about him. I think most people understand that they are lies; it’s mostly a lot of just people trying to destroy his character. I just want to see what the fans think from here on out. I hope everyone stops and listens for a minute instead of is quick to speak. The statement we made speaks for itself.
Unsurprisingly, Sean Gunn is adamant that his sibling and frequent collaborator deserves a second chance in the MCU, as his creative prowess is part of the reason why the Guardians are now so ingrained in mainstream culture. It’s hard to argue with Gunn’s point (Sean, not James), too, though whether his reasoning makes much of a difference to this ongoing saga remains to be seen.
To recap: a few weeks ago, Disney shocked the film world with the swift termination of Gunn’s contract, leaving Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 without a director and Marvel’s cosmic universe in need of a new shepherd. The reason behind said dismissal can be traced back to a series of distasteful and indeed disturbing tweets from a decade ago – tweets that James Gunn has since apologized for.
As things stand, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is still expected to go before the cameras in January, but Disney will definitely need to act fast if it intends to release the cosmic threequel at the beginning of 2020.