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Disney Reportedly Standing Firm on ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Director James Gunn’s Termination

Despite an outpouring of support from countless fans as well as the full cast of Guardians of the Galaxy, it looks as if Disney will not be reinstating director James Gunn on the upcoming third film.

A new report from Variety states that both Disney and Marvel are standing firm on the decision to cut ties with Gunn after a series of offensive tweets were uncovered from his past social media history. Studio chairman Alan Horn reportedly held a “civil and professional” meeting with Gunn as a “courtesy to clear the air” on Tuesday, however, the meeting did not alter the decision made by the studio back in July.

Additionally, Variety reports that Marvel head Kevin Feige also stands by the decision on Gunn’s termination. Feige is currently out of town and was not present for the meeting on Tuesday, Variety reports that when he returns, they expect the search for Gunn’s replacement to begin.

After the tweets were brought to light last month, Horn issued a statement saying, “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.”

The offensive tweets were nearly (and in some cases over) a decade old and contained off-color jokes and statements relating to rape, pedophilia, and other disturbing topics. Gunn says, at the time he made these remarks, he was viewed himself as a provocateur and that he fully regrets the past statements which are not a reflection of who he is as a person today.

After Gunn’s abrupt termination, a fan-made petition supporting Gunn began circulating and currently stands at over 380,000 signatures and the Guardians cast issued an official statement standing by their director. Drax actor Dave Bautista has been quite forthright about his push for Gunn’s reinstatement, and just recently, franchise star Chris Pratt reiterated his support for Gunn to be rehired.

Gunn had already completed the script on the upcoming third Guardians films. It’s unclear if the studio will still use his script or scrap the whole thing and start over once a new director is brought on board.

At this time, neither Disney nor Marvel have issued an official comment.

What do you think about Variety’s new report that Disney and Marvel are standing by their decision to part ways with James Gunn? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.