During an interview with Deadline, James Gunn opened up about Disney’s decision to fire him from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Last summer, Disney fired James Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after offensive social media posts by the filmmaker were unearthed by alt-right commentators. While a significant number of fans were vocally upset by Disney’s decision, it would be over six months before the company opted to reinstate James Gunn as the director of the third Guardians of the Galaxy film. While the filmmaker had remained silent on his firing since the announcement was made, James Gunn opened up about Disney’s initial decision to remove him from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and how he felt when Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn invited him back to the project:
“I was writing Suicide Squad and thought of Guardians 3 as being long gone. I guess it was a possibility for a while, but the initial conversations with Alan weren’t, “Let’s figure out if I should come back.” It was, “Let’s talk about this.” It was like the break-up of my marriage. I got divorced, and then had those conversations with my ex-wife: “Let’s get along as well as we possibly can and be kind to each other because we’re both a large part of each other’s lives.”
But I would hate to look back on the six years that my wife and I were together and think, Oh, what a waste of time. Instead, I think it was a time when I really grew a lot and we were really good to each other. There were some problems, and we just weren’t supposed to be married, but it was well worth living that six years with my ex.
I wanted to feel that way about Disney. I didn’t want to look back and feel bitter, upset or angry. Of course all sorts of emotions are attached to it. But I just wanted to be comfortable saying goodbye and splitting up, and that’s where my head was at, even in the very early meeting we had, a week or two weeks after it all happened.”
James Gunn also explained why the day he was fired was both the best and worst of his life, noting the support he received from those closest to him and how he decided to move forward following his dismissal:
[…] then came this outpouring of real love. From my girlfriend Jen; my producer and my agents; Chris Pratt calling me and freaking out; Zoe Saldana and Karen Gillan, all calling and crying. Sylvester Stallone FaceTime-ing me. And, of course, Dave Bautista, who came out so strong. That amount of love that I felt from my friends, my family, and the people in the community was absolutely overwhelming. In order for me to have fully felt that love for the first time, the thing that needed to happen was the apparatus by which I was feeling falsely loved had to be completely taken away.
So a part of that day was the worst of my life, and a part of it was the greatest day of my life. I certainly haven’t been perfect in my spiritual journeys since that time, but I have been better.
That first couple weeks, I completely stayed off social media. I just completely disconnected from all of that. It was hard as hell and I was really living minute-to-minute, but it was also rewarding, in being able to see life from a different perspective.
While production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was scheduled to begin early this year, the project was put on hold following the decision to remove Gunn as the director of the final chapter in the trilogy. Now, James Gunn will begin production on the third Guardians of the Galaxy film after completing work on The Suicide Squad for Warner Bros. and DC. Details on the third and final chapter of James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy are currently unknown, though the film will likely explore the ramifications of the universe-changing events in Avengers: Endgame.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is expected to star Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, and Sean Gunn.
Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for the latest updates on James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Source: Deadline
