Guardians of the Galaxy saw James Gunn handed more creative freedom than arguably any other filmmaker had been awarded up to that point in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it worked out pretty well for both parties in the end after the intergalactic adventure scored huge box office success and enthusiastic reviews from fans and critics alike.
The second installment wasn’t quite as fresh, but it was even more successful, and Gunn was positioned to lead the cosmic side of the franchise into a brave and exciting new future. However, things hit a major stumbling block when he was fired after some controversial comments from his past surfaced online, only for Disney to relent in the face of backlash from both the cast and the fanbase and eventually reinstate him as the director of Vol. 3.
In the interim, Gunn took charge of the DCEU’s Suicide Squad reboot, establishing him as the industry’s go-to guy for crafting ensemble superhero movies centered on a gang of misfits. If you thought that the Mouse House would have him on a tighter leash than ever after welcoming him back into the fold though, you’d be wrong, after he confirmed that he’d already been getting away with a lot more than he’d ever expected working under the staunchly family-friendly company.
Gunn has always been known for his willingness to engage with fans on social media, and in a recent exchange he revealed that there was only one joke that he was forced to remove from either of his Guardians of the Galaxy movies, and it involved John Stamos of all people.
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1277679072005390338?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1277679072005390338&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fscreenrant.com%2Fguardians-galaxy-movie-cut-joke-disney-james-gunn%2F
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Kevin Bacon didn’t seem to mind being referenced in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, but maybe John Stamos wouldn’t have been quite as forgiving at being mentioned as the target of Drax’s bloodlust. Based on the countless references to 1980s pop culture that the series has featured so far though, Gunn will no doubt already know who’ll be getting the David Hasselhoff treatment in Vol. 3. once the movie finally enters production.
