It's been three weeks since it was announced that Disney and Marvel fired James Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 due to inappropriate tweets he made a decade ago resurfacing, and it's been quite at the proverbial rollercoaster since then. This decision has drawn polarizing reactions, but Gunn has accumulated a large number of supporters, as evidenced by many of the Guardians of the Galaxy cast membersstanding by the director and a petition asking for Gunn to be re-instated on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 gathering over 374,000 signatures. Last week, it was reported that Disney was unlikely to hire Gunn back onto the threequel, but supposedly Marvel Studios is pushing for the Mouse House to have a change of heart.
One day after word came in that Disney is interested in keeping the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 script that James Gunn wrote, Deadline reports that it has heard from sources that "back channel conversations" are taking place between Marvel and Disney, with the former trying to reach a compromise with the latter on bringing back Gunn for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. This is described as a "long shot," but the discussion has reportedly come in the wake of the Guardians of the Galaxy actors declaring their loyalty to Gunn. Dave Bautista, a.k.a. Drax the Destroyer, has been particularly vocal regard his support for Gunn, going so far as to say that if Disney didn't use Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, he would ask to be released from his contract.
At this point, it sounds like this is a last-ditch effort on Marvel's part to convince Disney that James Gunn should be involved with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, although it's unclear in the article if he would be put back in the director's chair as previously planned or serve in a different capacity, such as executive producer. Either way, it's the latest chapter in the messy Gunn saga, and we'll just have to wait and see if Disney is game for re-hiring the filmmaker or if the company stands by its decision to let him go.
Marvel reportedly wants to move forward on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 quickly. The threequel was already set to come out sometime in 2020, and apparently one of the reasons Chris Pratt's next blockbuster, Cowboy Ninja Viking, was delayed at Universal was not just because it was still undergoing rewrites right before cameras were set to roll, but also that Pratt was on a "tight timeline" to reprise Star-Lord. In order to meet a summer 2020 release, production needs to start early next year, and if Marvel can't find a director, be it Gunn or someone new, to oversee the project, then it will need to be delayed. The MCU has become one of the most popular film franchises in history over the last decade, and the Guardians of the Galaxy have played a big part with that. Regardless of what it decides on the director front, Disney will need to proceed cautiously with making Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in the midst of this behind-the-scenes drama.
Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for all the latest updates concerning Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. In the meantime, the Guardians of the Galaxy will return on May 3, 2019 for Avengers 4, and don't forget to look through our Marvel movies guide to learn what else is in development for the MCU.
