It should come as no surprise that Dave Bautista is not too thrilled about James Gunn‘s firing from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The Drax actor has been the most vocal proponent for the ousted director.
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A week after the cast issued a statement calling for Gunn’s reinstatement to the popular Marvel Studios franchise, Bautista has spoken out after news leaked that Disney is unlikely to reverse their decision. It shouldn’t surprise anyone to learn that he’s not happy about the company’s decision.
I will do what Im legally obligated to do but @Guardians without @JamesGunn is not what I signed up for. GOTG w/o @JamesGunn just isn’t GOTG. Its also pretty nauseating to work for someone who’d empower a smear campaign by fascists #cybernazis . That’s just how I feel https://t.co/Ym4FwruVDu
— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) August 5, 2018
“I will do what Im (sic) legally obligated to do but [Guardians of the Galaxy] without [James Gunn] is not what I signed up for. GOTG w/o [James Gunn] just isn’t GOTG. Its also pretty nauseating to work for someone who’d empower a smear campaign by fascists #cybernazis . That’s just how I feel,” Bautista wrote on Twitter.
Bautista has been very vocal in his support for Gunn ever since an Alt-Right campaign revealed old tweets that joked about paedophilia and transphobia, which resulted in his firing from the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise by Disney. But the former professional wrestler is no the only one to support the ousted director.
Hollywood legend Kurt Russell, who starred in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and comedian/director Bobcat Goldthwait have lent their support to the director. Actress Selma Blair has also gone on the record with her support multiple times, going so far as to delete her Twitter account as a form of demonstration.
The strongest show of support came from the entire cast of the franchise, in a joint statement that was signed by Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Pom Klementieff, Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn, and Bautista. Despite the unified front from the franchise’s bigger stars, it seems like Disney will not relent.
“It is our hope that what has transpired can serve as an example for all of us to realize the enormous responsibility we have to ourselves and to each other regarding the use of our written words when we etch them in digital stone; that we as a society may learn from this experience and in the future will think twice before we decide what we want to express; and in so learning perhaps can harness this capability to help and heal instead of hurting each other. Thank you for taking the time to read our words.”
Bautista is set to reprise his role as Drax in next year’s Avengers 4, as well as the 2020 release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
