On July 20, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn was fired over controversial blog posts made in 2011 containing slurs and descriptions of sex acts. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has not quite been the same since.
While Gunn apologized immediately after the post was criticized and has continued to apologize since, Disney decided to fire him because the statements were “indefensible and inconsistent with our studio’s values.”
The cast of Guardians of the Galaxy took to Twitter to defend Gunn’s morals and character, with Dave Bautista, who portrays Drax, being the most visibly upset. In a tweet posted the day Gunn was fired, he said, “James Gunn is one of the most loving, caring, good natured people I have ever met.” This situation has affected Bautista so much that he has even threatened to quit if Gunn’s script is not used for Volume 3 of the series, saying he is only continuing to work for Disney because he is legally obligated to do so.
Gunn’s first job in the MCU — directing Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014 — was a big success, despite apprehension from fans about the quality of a movie that had virtually unknown characters. It grossed $773,328,629 worldwide. 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 had an even bigger turnout, grossing $863,756,051 worldwide.
Fans became captivated by the stark contrast of the humor and overall plot of the movies compared to the serious tone of previous movies in the MCU. Without Gunn’s direction and unmatched wit to make Vol. 3, the best Guardians movie yet, fans are worried that the third installment will fall flat.
While Disney searches for a new director, the production of Vol. 3 has been put on hold indefinitely. Though Disney has claimed that it will be using Gunn’s script for the film, postponing production indefinitely could twist the fate of the Guardians characters involvment in Avengers 4. Rumors have been circulating that Disney could hire Taika Waititi, director of Thor: Ragnarok, because of the quirkiness shown in the film that is similar to the previous Guardians films.
In the aftermath of Gunn’s firing, DC’s Cinematic Universe took the opportunity to scoop up Gunn for writing and possibly directing the next Suicide Squad film, set for a 2019 release. Since 2016’s Suicide Squad received abysmal reviews and didn’t do as well at the box office as planned, Gunn’s version of Suicide Squad 2 may just be the lucky break that the DC Cinematic Universe needs to compete with the MCU. DC may even gain Bautista in the process, who is looking for any reason to get out of his contract with Disney.
With Gunn out of the picture in the Guardians films, it raises the question of if Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be as successful as the first two or is even made at all. At least now we have a decent DC movie to look forward to.
Charlotte Caldwell is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Charlotte? Email her at cc670717@ohio.edu.
