‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Cast Statement in Support of James Gunn Draws Mixed Reactions

The stars of Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy franchise issued a joint statement Monday [...]

By Cameron Bonomolo

The stars of Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy franchise issued a joint statement Monday in defense of fired series writer-director James Gunn, drawing mixed response on social media.

Gunn, who was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 directing duties by Disney earlier this month after past offensive tweets resurfaced on Twitter, has the "full support" of the Guardians cast.

"We were all shocked by his abrupt firing last week and have intentionally waited these ten days to respond in order to think, pray, listen, and discuss," the statement reads. "In that time, we've been encouraged by the outpouring of support from fans and members of the media who wish to see James reinstated as director of Volume 3 as well as discouraged by those so easily duped into believing the many outlandish conspiracy theories surrounding him."

The stars aimed to express their "love, support, and gratitude" for Gunn, adding they "are not here to defend his jokes of many years ago but rather to share our experience having spent many years together on set making Guardians of the Galaxy 1 and 2."

"In casting each of us to help him tell the story of misfits who find redemption, he changed our lives forever," the statement continues. "We believe the theme of redemption has never been more relevant than now."

Chris Pratt (Star-Lord), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Dave Bautista (Drax), Bradley Cooper (voice of Rocket Raccoon), Vin Diesel (voice of Groot), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Pom Klementieff (Mantis), Michael Rooker (Yondu), and Sean Gunn (Kraglin and on-set actor for Rocket) signed the letter.

Rooker, a longtime close friend of Gunn's, quit Twitter entirely following the firing. Bautista has since championed Gunn's reinstatement to the director's chair and a petition launched by fans lobbying for a reversal of Disney's decision has been signed more than 300,000 times.

Gunn's swift firing came from Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn, who condemned the "offensive attitudes and statements" in Gunn's social media history, calling the tweets "indefensible and inconsistent with our studio's values."

Gunn's tweets — some collected here — involved pedophilia, rape, and other abuses. The filmmaker has since apologized for the resurfaced tweets.

Speaking to Buzzfeed last May ahead of the release of Vol. 2, Gunn said working on the franchise forced him "into a much deeper way of thinking about... my relationship to people."

"I was a very nasty guy on Twitter. It was a lot f—ing edgy, in-your-face, dirty stuff. I suddenly was working for Marvel and Disney, and that didn't seem like something I could do anymore," Gunn said. He explained his time on the franchise made him more "sensitive" and "positive."

"I mean, I really do love people. And by not having jokes to make about whatever was that offensive topic of the week, that forced me into just being who I really was, which was a pretty positive person," Gunn said. "It felt like a relief."

“...Part of the Problem”

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Mixed Response

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We Are Groot

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Past Mistakes

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Those Against

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Those For

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What Comes Next

Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige has yet to issue comment on the firing. Gunn was previously set to shepherd the cosmic side of the shared Marvel Cinematic Universe in addition to creative duties on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which Marvel intended for a January 2019 shooting start ahead of a 2020 release.

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