*UPDATE: One member of the Guardians cast who seems very upset over what’s happened to Gunn is Dave Bautista. He hit Twitter late last night and made it clear how unhappy he is over the move. I don’t know how that will translate into action, but his tweet reads like he plans something. Check that out below, followed by the original story.*
I will have more to say but for right now all I will say is this..@JamesGunn is one of the most loving,caring,good natured people I have ever met. He’s gentle and kind and cares deeply for people and animals. He’s made mistakes. We all have. Im NOT ok with what’s happening to him— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) July 21, 2018
There’s a lot of shock and anger surrounding the sudden firing of James Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 over provocative comments he made more than a decade ago. One of those comments was about rape, yet the loudest voice in favor of Gunn’s firing is conservative pundit Mike Cernovich, who I remember claiming that date rape wasn’t a real thing. This whole thing started when Gunn attempted to defend actor/filmmaker Mark Duplass for praising conservative pundit Ben Shapiro, someone Gunn has nothing in common with. Disney put out their own statement through chairman Alan Horn, saying Gunn’s statements were “indefensible and inconsistent with our studio’s values.”
Hard to argue that point, no matter how long ago the tweets were. It should be noted that Gunn actually apologized for them already six years ago before he took on the Guardians job. More irony that they would still come back to haunt him. He has frequently talked about the way he used to think and act, bringing the offensive comments back up again in a 2017 profile.
Still, Gunn has issued another statement agreeing with Disney’s decision. He says…
“My words of nearly a decade ago were, at the time, totally failed and unfortunate efforts to be provocative,” Gunn said in a statement. “I have regretted them for many years since — not just because they were stupid, not at all funny, wildly insensitive, and certainly not provocative like I had hoped, but also because they don’t reflect the person I am today or have been for some time.”
“Regardless of how much time has passed, I understand and accept the business decisions taken today. Even these many years later, I take full responsibility for the way I conducted myself then,” he continued. “All I can do now, beyond offering my sincere and heartfelt regret, is to be the best human being I can be: accepting, understanding, committed to equality, and far more thoughtful about my public statements and my obligations to our public discourse. To everyone inside my industry and beyond, I again offer my deepest apologies. Love to all.”
I’ll be honest, this makes me very angry. I’m pissed that Gunn’s clear and obvious evolution into a person of empathy has gone unnoticed by Disney. Or let me take that back; they noticed but don’t give a shit, preferring to bow down to angry conserva-pundits who support Donald “Grab ’em by the pussy” Trump. Because let’s be honest here; THAT is the reason they are firing Gunn. They obviously must have known about Gunn’s statements before because he’s so frequently talked about how wrong they were. Disney didn’t care until now when a very loud but also very minor group started to draw attention.
With production on Vol. 3 set to start early in 2019, we might see them move that date back. A new director needs to be found, and we may see Gunn’s script thrown out. Some are already hoping he’ll be replaced by Edgar Wright or Taika Waititi, two directors who have the right offbeat approach. We’ll see, but I’m guessing it will be neither. This smacks of a job for a relative unknown with a very strong personality, just as Gunn was when he came in.
