The slim hope that fans had about James Gunn being rehired to helm the upcoming “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3” is almost completely gone. There’s a petition with over 368,000 online signatures. The entire cast has come out with an open letter endorsing his rehire and voicing their support for the ousted director. But yet, as we reported last week, it doesn’t look like Disney has any plans to bring back Gunn.
Now, as we enter the 2nd stage of grief — anger — ‘Guardians’ actor Dave Bautista has yet another tweet about the whole situation, and it appears that he’s not going to be excited to go back to the set in 2019.
“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,” tweeted Bautista.
These are not words that Disney would like to hear from one of the breakout stars of the franchise. This tweet also speaks to many fans’ hope that the cast would come together after the letter and force Disney’s hand. However, as of now, Bautista is the only actor to really step forward with statements like this. Boy, whoever the studio hires to take over the franchise has an uphill battle, not just with fans but also with the cast and crew.
This weekend also saw support for Gunn come from another ‘Guardians’ actor, Kurt Russell. The legendary action star showed up in ‘Vol. 2’ to play Star-Lord’s father, Ego the Living Planet. In an interview with Variety, Russell was the latest actor to wish Gunn the best.
“It’s sad. But it’s a part of our fabric now, and I get it,” Kurt Russell said. “But I do think we’re getting a little too sensitive on maybe some of the wrong people.”
“You have to realize that when you are in that world as a comedian, a writer, whatever you’re always stretching the boundaries and trying to find something which led him to something that the world loves, which is ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’” Russell continued. “He has a wonderful heart and a wonderful mind. I hope he is forgiven.”
As mentioned above, Disney is expected to move on without Gunn for the third ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ film, which was scheduled to begin production in early 2019.
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