Although James Gunn is on a cinematic blockbuster roll, with The Suicide Squad premiering in less than a month and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 planned to begin production by the end of this year, there was a point that his career appeared to be in jeopardy. Gunn was fired by The Walt Disney Co. in 2018, and he's now disclosed his first reaction to hearing the news.
Asked in an interview with The New York Times about how he found out that he had been terminated as the director of the Guardians of the Galaxy films, Gunn recalled the conversation he had with President and Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige. "I called Kevin the morning it was going on, and I said, 'Is this a big deal?' And he goes, 'I don’t know.' That was a moment. I was like, 'You don’t know?' I was surprised."
Apparently, although Gunn was aware of the controversy that had been stirring around him online, he didn't realize the scope of it. "Later [Feige] called me — he himself was in shock — and told me what the powers that be had decided," he continued. "It was unbelievable."
The controversy in question that led to Disney's decision to fire Gunn began with some offensive jokes that he had made on Twitter many years earlier, which resurfaced due to agitation from his political critics. He was hired as director for the DC Extended Universe's The Suicide Squad almost immediately after, but also, was brought back on by Disney in 2019 for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
However, Gunn admitted that before he knew about any of these developments, he was hit with despair over the situation. "And for a day, it seemed like everything was gone," he said. "Everything was gone. I was going to have to sell my house. I was never going to be able to work again. That’s what it felt like."
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is written and directed by James Gunn and expected to hit theaters on May 5, 2023. The same team of space-faring misfits from the first two movies in the trilogy will be returning, including Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, and Dave Bautista, who has been dropping hints that this may be his last appearance as Drax.
Source: New York Times