Last Friday, Disney Studios fired filmmaker James Gunn from the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after some of his old controversial tweets about sexual misconduct resurfaced the internet. Reacting to this move by the production house, actor Dave Bautista, who plays Drax in the Guardians film series, defended his longtime director. He tweeted saying: "I will have more to say but for right now all I will say is this..@JamesGunn is one of the most loving,caring,good natured people I have ever met. He’s gentle and kind and cares deeply for people and animals. He’s made mistakes. We all have. Im NOT ok with what’s happening to him."
Lead Guardians star Chris Pratt also appeared to defend James. He tweeted a verse from the Bible in which he quoted James 1:19: “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters. Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.”
An online petition calling for Disney to rehire the director is rapidly gathering attention as cast mates and celebrities support James. The others who stood up in the director’s defence include Rick and Morty creator Justin Roiland and Sean Gunn, the director's brother, who plays Kraglin in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Comedian Rufus Hound tweeted saying: “Disney, your stories are so often about redemption. To fire James Gunn for jokes made as a younger man, jokes for which he has already apologized, goes against the moral code you taught us all when we were kids. No sense in cutting loose a good man. I urge you - rehire him.”
The third instalment in Marvel’s superhero franchise was set to be released in 2020. However, neither Disney nor Marvel have made an announcement about who will replace James as director.