HOLLYWOOD (CNS) - Director James Gunn has been re-hired to direct “Guardians of the Galaxy 3” after he was removed from the project last year for offensive Twitter posts, some dating back a decade.
“I am tremendously grateful to every person out there who has supported me over the past few months,” Gunn tweeted Friday afternoon. “I am always learning and will continue to work at being the best human being I can be. I deeply appreciate Disney's decision and I am excited to continue making films that investigate the ties of love that bind us all. I have been, and continue to be incredibly humbled by your love and support. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Love to you all.”
The news of Gunn's reinstatement was first reported by Deadline.com.
The cast of the hit film franchise had previously called for Walt Disney Studios to reinstate Gunn.
“We fully support James Gunn,” read an open letter posted last year on the social media accounts of the film's stars, including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper.
Gunn was fired July 20 amid criticism that began surfacing about Twitter posts he had made, including joking references to issues such as rape, pedophilia and AIDS.
“The offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James' Twitter feed are indefensible and inconsistent with our studio's values, and we have severed our business relationship with him,” Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn said in a statement announcing his firing.
Gunn, who directed and co-wrote the first two “Guardians” films, was working on the script for the third installment, and was on board as director, when he was fired.
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