James Gunn has been reinstated by Marvel Studios as the director for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and it seems as some Guardians stars knew the move was a long time brewing. Last week Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista sat down with EW writer Anthony Breznican and seemingly revealed — or at the very least, teased — Gunn’s eventual return to Disney’s fan-favorite franchise.
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While promoting his upcoming comedy Stuber, Bautista took a moment to reflect on the controversy surrounding the franchise. The actor stopped short of confirming Gunn was returning to the director’s chair, but did seem to heavily tease he knew more than what he let on.
“His phone was ringing the day after with Marvel,” Bautista said. “He’s bouncing back, big time. In the next 6 to 8 months, next year, you’re gonna see James Gunn bounce back in a huge way, which is gonna be a huge statement and real vindication.”
Now that Gunn is back on the Guardians franchise, it stands to reasons that Bautista could also return as Drax the Destroyer — that is, of course, should the character make it through Avengers: Endgame unscathed. There had also been reports that Bautista is also being considered for a role in Gunn’s The Suicide Squad.
Talking about Disney’s decision to fire Gunn after disturbing decade-old tweets resurfaced last year, Bautista told Breznican that it seemed executives at the House of Mouse realized that made “rash” decisions.
“I think a lot of people who even made the decisions, they realized they made a harsh, rash decision that was probably not the best decision,” Bautista said.”He [James Gunn] feels that they’ve [Disney] done right by him, or as best as they could have.”
Captain Marvel is in theaters now. Other upcoming Marvel Studios films include Avengers: Endgame on April 26th and Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5th.
When do you think Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will take place? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or hit me up (@AdamBarnhardt) on Twitter to chat all things Guardians!
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