When I looked at Twitter this morning and saw James Gunn trending, I excitedly checked to see what was going on with one of my favorite filmmakers. It took all of sixty seconds before my excitement was squashed.
If you follow Gunn on Twitter, it is no secret that he is far from a Donald Trump supporter. After being very outspoken, some of his tweets from years ago were pulled by Trump supporters and shared. Obviously, Gunn’s humor can be raunchy and dark considering his involvement with Troma films such as Tromeo and Juliet. However, many think that his humor in the tweets went way too far and are inexcusable. The posts covered taboo topics such as pedophilia and rape, and others such as AIDS. Even after the tweets were deleted from Gunn’s Twitter, screenshots continued to be shared many times.
After they resurfaced, Gunn released an apology and statement on this Twitter, saying he is a much different person today. This isn’t the first time he has made apologies for being crude, however. Back in 2011, he released an apology for blog content he wrote titled “The 50 Superheroes You Most Want to Have Sex With: 2nd Annual Poll Results.” Included in his statement at the time, he had said, “People who are familiar with me as evidenced by my Facebook page and other mediums know that I’m an outspoken proponent for the rights of the gay and lesbian community, women and anyone who feels disenfranchised, and it kills me that some other outsider like myself, despite his or her gender or sexuality, might feel hurt or attacked by something I said.”
All of these apologies matter not to Marvel and Disney, who today announced that Gunn has been officially dropped as director of the Guardians of the Galaxy films. Walt Disney Company Chairman Alan Horn said in a statement: “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.”
Reactions to the news seems to be mixed, with some fans defending Gunn, saying that he should not be punished for statements made so long ago, while others are happy Marvel and Disney cut ties. Directorial suggestions for future Guardians of the Galaxy films are already being made on social media, with Taika Waititi coming up frequently. We expect big developments as Vol. 3 moves forward.
Do you think Marvel and Disney should have fired James Gunn? Let us know in comments below or on social media!
