There was a whole lot of surprise when word came out that Disney decided to rehire James Gunn to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Last year, the filmmaker had been kicked out of his Marvel directorial chair after an alt-right extremist created a smear campaign, dredging up some of Gunn's old insensitive and inappropriate tweets.
While some felt like Disney did the right thing when the studio decided to fire Gunn, many others thought that the move was excessive. Fans rallied for Gunn, many creating petitions asking Disney to bring the filmmaker back. For months on end, the Mickey Mouse House wouldn't budge. Fans started giving up on those petitions after Warner Brothers decided to tap Gunn for the DC Extended Universe's Suicide Squad 2, hoping that the director would thrive in another comic book movie production house.
Now, months after the entire hoopla, Disney decides to change its mind. Why?
According to Deadline, Marvel Studio Chief Alan Horn met with Gunn several more times after their initial meet up last year. Horn had been persuaded by Gunn's public apology and by his response to the entire affair. Though he had been axed from Disney, the filmmaker refused to bad-mouth the Mickey Mouse House on social media, keeping his response calm and civil.
More importantly, despite the smear campaign built against him, there had been no evidence that Gunn ever actually did the perverted things that he joked about on social media. Not only did the filmmaker apologize for his tweets, but he took responsibility for them.
What do you think of Disney's decision to rehire Gunn? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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