When Disney fired James Gunn from directing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after people were offended by his decade-old jokes on Twitter, one of the franchise’s stars wasn’t happy. Dave Bautista was not shy about how he felt when Gunn was fired. Social media was flooded with his opinion of the whole ordeal, which was firmly against Disney, going as far as saying he might leave the movie if they completely abandoned Gunn. Gunn has since been re-hired, making the big guy happy, but he is not sure if he ruffled any feathers being so outspoken.
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For the first time, Bautista has been asked about his relationship with Disney after the events of the past year. “I hope it’s good,” Bautista told Collider. “I never actually talked to anybody from Disney. I only ever talk to people from Marvel. And they were very understanding about the way I felt.”
For the most part, fans agreed with Bautista in regards to the stance on Gunn’s employment. It seems to have been the same behind the scenes, though some weren’t as vocal, which was likely influenced by a fear or rattling any cages and putting their employment in jeopardy. “I got people who are very understanding of where I stood,” Bautista said. “A lot of them just weren’t outspoken about it. And I just happened to be very outspoken about the way I felt.”
In the end, Bautista was simply being loyal to a friend who has played a major role in his career. Don’t forget, the wrestler turned actor cried tears of joy when he learned he was cast in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy — and that was before anyone knew it would be a global hit. “James [Gunn] is my friend. I love him,” Bautista said. “He helped change my life and I know he’s a decent person. He was being attacked. And what do you do when your friends are being attacked? You defend them, or you’re not really a friend.”
Ultimately, James Gunn has come out on top of all of this, getting a DC movie from Warner Bros. in the form of The Suicide Squad. He will shoot Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 next year when he wraps up with the other team.
Are you happy James Gunn is back for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3? Share your thoughts in the comment section or send them my way on Instagram or Twitter.
Bautista can currently be seen in Avengers: Endgame which is now playing in theaters. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 does not yet have a release date.
