While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had a long string of massively successful blockbusters, there is a bit of a dark cloud surrounding one aspect of the universe: the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Director/writer James Gunn was fired by Disney a few months ago, after offensive tweets from a decade ago resurfaced, and brought a ton of controversy and bad press. It was a move that polarized the public, and was especially shocking considering how popular the Guardians are within the greater shared universe. Guardians 3 is on indefinite hold, as it's unclear how the franchise could continue without Gunn's vision. Plenty of potential replacements are being thrown around, but Ghostbusters director Paul Feig doesn't want to be one of them. When he was recently asked if he'd consider helming a Guardians project, Feig said:
I would never take anything away from another filmmaker. You can think whatever, moralize about what James wrote. I don't make those kind of jokes, I don't like those kind of jokes. But still, that's James' franchise.
While Paul Feig seems to understand the controversy that caused James Gunn's departure, the acclaimed director/producer wouldn't even consider taking on a Guardians of the Galaxy movie. It's a franchise that is thoroughly rooted in Gunn's point of view, and Feig seems to have a sense of honor with his colleagues.
Paul Feig's comments to the Happy Sad Confused podcast show what a class act he is, while also seemingly taking a name off the list of potential James Gunn replacements. Feig's sense of humor and reputation certainly would lend itself to the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, but he doesn't want to step on Gunn's toes. It's a sweet sentiment, but it begs the question: will directors even want to touch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
No one expected the wild success of the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, as the motley crew of oddball characters weren't exactly household names. But James Gunn's sense of humor, the film's awesome soundtrack, and the unexpected tone of the project helped set it apart from the rest of the MCU. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was similarly successful, as was the characters' inclusion in Avengers: Infinity War. But then Gunn was fired, and suddenly the entire franchise's future was in danger.
There have been quite a few names tossed around to possible replace James Gunn for Guardians 3, although it looks like Paul Feig won't be included anymore. Another popular candidate has been Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi, although it's unclear if the director has any interest. There's also the task of finding new writers, and deciding how much of Gunn's original draft to include in the threequel.
The Guardians will return to the MCU when Avengers: Infinity War arrives in theaters on May 3rd, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
