As January comes to a close, so ends the month that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was widely reported to begin principal photography. While many of the planned sequel's cast and crew, including Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, have reiterated that the film will still happen eventually, the loss of original filmmaker James Gunn this past July has delayed the production for the foreseeable future. Gunn was fired by the studio after offensive tweets from his past resurfaced online. The director's termination from the project was confirmed definitively by the studio this past August.Since then, the status of the planned film has been in a state of flux, especially in regards to replacement directors. Every time a filmmaker is seemingly considered to helm the Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel, they quickly deny any involvement with the film, including Ghostbusters director Paul Feig, Bumblebee director Travis Knight and Rocket Raccoon voice actor and A Star Is Born filmmaker Bradley Cooper. While Vice filmmaker and Ant-Man co-writer Adam McKay confirmed he has at least been approached by Marvel Studios to potentially helm the project, he similarly declined the offer.RELATED: Avengers: Endgame Reshoots Suggest Marvel Is Plotting GotG's Next MoveEarlier this week, fans approached several directors, including filmmakers previously linked directly to the MCU, about the possibility of directing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, refueling speculation about who could possibly replace Gunn. Among the directors included in the debate were original Ant-Man filmmaker Edgar Wright and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse producers and The LEGO Movie directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord, with Wright and Lord suggesting the best director to replace James Gunn would be... James Gunn himself.

Even Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi, who had also been included in the fan shortlist to replace Gunn, chimed in with a response himself, similarly suggesting Gunn be brought back into the fold, with Gunn's younger brother Sean Gunn, who provided motion-capture for Rocket and Groot and portrayed Ravager Kraglin in both Guardians films, joining in on the running joke, humorously casting his doubt about his brother's professionalism to be able to replace himself.

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The thing is, even though Wright, Miller and Waititi's jokes are good-natured on some level, all three filmmakers are also right. If Marvel Studios is keen to continue the style and tone that made the first two Guardians of the Galaxy films such a success with audiences and critics, Gunn really is the best option to close out the story that he first started with the original film in 2014, despite his problematic past statements.

While Gunn's jokes were absolutely in poor taste and offensive, they were published years ago by (hopefully) a different man. To abruptly and completely sever ties with the filmmaker suggests that concepts such as forgiveness and redemption are no longer viable options in a society that has forgotten the possibility of a second chance. And this isn't an entirely unprecedented move for Marvel Studios regarding Gunn.

NEXT PAGE: What Really Moved Disney to Fire James Gunn?

Soon after his hiring to helm the first Guardians of the Galaxy film in 2012, a blog post from 2011 by Gunn resurfaced. Criticized by many for being homophobic and misogynistic, an online petition was launched to fire the director before principal photography on the first film even began. While Disney and Marvel Studios were certainly aware of the blog post and resulting petition, Gunn was retained and signed to direct Vol. 2 and, later, Vol. 3 after the filmmaker delivered an apology reaching out to organizations such as GLAAD. This suggests Gunn's firing this past year is more a product of politically volatile times and less about the content of the filmmaker's offensive jokes.

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The other strong argument for Gunn's reinstatement is the existence of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's screenplay. Gunn had reportedly delivered a script to Marvel Studios weeks before his sudden firing, intending to begin filming January 2019. While Gunn was let go from the project, Marvel Studios retained the script, with Sean Gunn indicating that the studio intends to use elements of James Gunn's screenplay when production on the sequel eventually moves forward.

With a new director signing on to the production, the incoming filmmaker will likely want to avoid the shadow of Gunn's departure while maintaining the vision and style of the first two films. That is an incredibly daunting tonal balance. As the original writer and director of the previous two films, Gunn is still the best filmmaker suited for the job.

The possibility of Marvel Studios rehiring James Gunn is a highly unlikely one. The director's firing was seen by many as a political, face-saving move by Disney after it fired Roseanne Barr from her ABC sitcom following the offensive comments she made online earlier in the year. And, by all accounts, Gunn appears to have moved on, entering final negotiations with Warner Bros. to write and direct a Suicide Squad relaunch, tentatively titled The Suicide Squad, for the DC Extended Universe after first being approached by the studio for the project this past October. Gunn certainly has a longstanding connection with the MCU's Guardians of the Galaxy, but the studio would have to make the unlikely decision to bring him back, even more improbable given Gunn's new commitment with a rival studio.

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As the MCU prepares for its future beyond Avengers: Endgame, one of the few properties confirmed to continue in some capacity following the eagerly anticipated blockbuster is Guardians of the Galaxy. With its quirky tone, punk rock visual energy and irreverent sense of humor, it re-emphasized the importance of comedy in the MCU without compromising its own emotional stakes. Narratively, it opened the entire cosmic side of the MCU to audiences, which has become increasingly more vital with Avengers: Infinity War, Endgame and the forthcoming Eternals. What James Gunn said in the past is, without a doubt, offensive, but if Marvel Studios is looking for a director to best replicate the success of the first two films, he remains the most viable option.