James Gunn Won’t Direct ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’, But His Script Will Still Be Used
In what looks to be the final word on James Gunn’s firing from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it’s officially been confirmed that he will not be re-hired by Disney’s Alan Horn, who fired him weeks ago. However, a silver lining for fans of the franchise lies in a new Variety report that his original script will be used, though it may potentially be modified.
Horn made the decision to fire Gunn shortly after previous tasteless jokes from the director resurfaced online. While the jokes in question were universally-reviled for their offensive content, the political nature of how they were uncovered (a flash mob of far-right trolls) led to an abundance of support for the director; many people involved with the production of the film series claimed that Gunn had significantly grown as an individual, and support for the cast and the position that the firing should be reversed swelled over time.
Shortly after the firing, Horn made a move to have a formal discussion with Gunn. In a recent meeting, held as a courtesy but also meant to clear the air between the two individuals, Horn stood by his decision to remove Gunn from the project. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige could not attend this meeting, and while he was said to be pushing to have Gunn reinstated, he supported the studio’s decision. However, it appears as though Feige may have managed to score a key victory behind-the-scenes: Variety‘s sources are noting that Gunn’s story and script will be retained in some fashion as the search for a new director on the project continues.
Given how The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline previously reported that Marvel would likely stick to Gunn’s original Guardians 3 script, this move should come as little surprise. It’s been stated that the third Guardians movie is going to be absolutely huge in terms of the impact it’s going to have on the Marvel Cinematic Universe going forward, with Gunn even boasting that the movie will influence the next 20 years of Marvel movies. Keeping that story is good for Disney’s bottom-line as the MCU continues to be a massive long-term investment. However, it’s also important that whichever director takes over the project will put their own spin on it as well, and perhaps the existing story will provide a strong enough foundation that there ca be room for that kind of experimentation with the story.
Presuming that a replacement director is found quickly and there aren’t any massive production delays, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be released on May 1, 2020.
Grant Davis is a freelance writer who has covered entertainment news for more than seven years. His articles have frequently appeared in Star Wars News Net as well as as other entertainment-related websites. As someone who grew up on Star Wars and comic book movies, he’s completely thrilled with the current era of genre entertainment.
