Dave Bautista Calls Out Disney Over James Gunn Firing
It’s fair to say that Dave Bautista is not mincing his words when it comes to his criticism over James Gunn’s sacking by Disney.
While the entire main cast of Guardians of the Galaxy penned an open letter voicing their wishes to rehire Gunn, Bautista actor has been particularly vocal on the issue and has made it very clear how uncomfortable he is with the whole affair.
When asked by a fan on Twitter what his response will be if Disney hire a director other than Gunn for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the Drax actor responded by saying ‘I will do what I’m legally obligated to do’, but added that ‘@Guardians without @JamesGunn is not what I signed up for. GOTG without James Gunn isn’t GOTG.’
He then went one step further, expressing his extreme distaste in working for a company that was willing to make this kind of a decision after neo-fascist individuals who opposed Gunn’s political stances used his earlier, discredited tweets as a way of costing him a position. ‘It’s also pretty nauseating to work for someone who’d empower a smear campaign by fascists #cybernazis . That’s just how I feel’.
I will do what Im legally obligated to do but @Guardians without @JamesGunn is not what I signed up for. GOTG w/o @JamesGunn just isn’t GOTG. Its also pretty nauseating to work for someone who’d empower a smear campaign by fascists #cybernazis . That’s just how I feel https://t.co/Ym4FwruVDu
— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) August 5, 2018
It’s not surprising that Bautista has come out so strongly in Gunn’s defence. Despite being a popular former wrestler, it was James Gunn who gave him his big acting break with Guardians of the Galaxy in 2016.
Plus, he’s in the right. While Gunn’s jokes were disgusting, they were also made a decade ago and not only has Gunn matured as a person since then, but he also apologized way before the smear campaign even began. That Disney would overreact to the point of sacking him is a huge mistake on their part; not just because it harms the quality of any future Guardians of the Galaxy film, but the idea that a company of that stature would bow to the wishes of fascists and nazis is deeply disturbing.
While Bautista’s future at Marvel after next year’s Avengers 4 (which he has already filmed for and will appear in as planned) is in question, there’s the matter of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Bautista has also recently elaborated on these comments to ShortList, explaining that he’s willing to walk away from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 if Gunn’s script isn’t used:
“Where I’m at right now is that if [Marvel] don’t use that script, then I’m going to ask them to release me from my contract, cut me out or recast me. I’d be doing James a disservice if I didn’t.”
We can only hope Disney will see sense on the matter, but regardless of whether or not James Gunn will end up returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it would appear that Dave Bautista has become disillusioned by the prospect of working for Disney.
Josh is a huge a fan of Star Wars, superheroes and video games. He spends most of his time wondering who would win in a fight between Boba Fett and Star Lord.
