Dave Bautista is "very excited" that James Gunn is back directing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The Drax the Destroyer actor was Gunn's biggest public supporter after Disney fired him from the third Guardians movie over his old offensive joke tweets last summer. Indeed, Bautista spent the following months openly campaigning for Gunn's return, making it crystal-clear he felt the Mouse House had made the wrong call, and that he would only return for Guardians 3 without Gunn due to a contractual obligation.

Thankfully, that's all in the past now. Disney officially rehired Gunn to direct Guardians 3 last month, and their decision has been widely applauded. It's a personal victory for Bautista in particular, as the actor has long expressed his gratitude to Gunn for casting him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to begin with. And while the wrestler-turned movie star has been surprisingly quiet in his response to the news online, he's offered his assurances that he's more than happy about the development.

Related: Zoe Saldana Rejoices Over James Gunn's Guardians 3 Rehiring

Here's what Bautista had to say on the matter, when Fandango caught up with the actor at the ongoing CinemaCon in Las Vegas (where he's promoting films like the spy comedy My Spy):

Funnily enough, Bautista all but confirmed Gunn's return to Guardians 3 during an interview the week before Disney made the news official. As mentioned, though, he's never wavered in his support for the filmmaker, and is clearly being genuine when he says he's "beyond words stoked" about Gunn coming back to the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise (regardless of when he learned the news himself). In fact, there's a very good chance that he and Gunn will work together again before they reunite for their next cosmic MCU adventure. The latter is gearing up to direct DC's The Suicide Squad before Guardians 3 and reportedly wants Bautista to play the character Peacemaker in his soft reboot of the franchise.

As for Gunn's rehiring, it's really the best outcome to the entire Guardians 3 situation. The film is expected to play an important role in Phase 4 of the MCU, and it's been obvious for a while that no one wanted the job of replacing him on the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy finale. In fact, it's even been reported that Disney didn't actively seek a replacement for Gunn on the movie, which begs the question of whether they've intended to bring him back into the fold for much longer than they've let on. Whatever the case may be, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is back on track, with its original captain manning the ship again.

MORE: The Marvel/DC War is Over, Thanks to James Gunn

Source: Fandango