How James Gunn Learned He Was Fired From Guardians of the Galaxy 3

James Gunn opens up about how he learned of his dismissal from writing and directing the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Gunn made his MCU debut with the first outing for the space-faring team in 2014, quickly establishing the first Guardians as one of the best titles to come from the interconnected franchise. Thanks to its success, Gunn returned for its sequel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 three years later and saw similar acclaim and financial success and was confirmed to return for the threequel ahead of the sequel's release.

This smooth development cycle saw a speed bump, however, when controversial old tweets were resurfaced by conservative publications and Gunn was let go from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Despite this setback, Gunn swiftly bounced back and signed on to write and direct the DC Extended Universe follow-up The Suicide Squad and later created, wrote and primarily directed an HBO Max spin-off series Peacemaker. As Gunn began putting the cast together for the Warner Bros. film and the Guardians cast continued their efforts for a change, Marvel Studios and Disney would reverse course on their decision and invite him to return for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, allowing him as much time as needed to complete The Suicide Squad before getting back to work.

Gunn recently caught up with The New York Times to discuss the tumultuous journey from moving between the MCU and the DCEU for The Suicide Squad. Reflecting on his dismissal from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the writer/director opened up about the heartbreaking phone calls with Feige the day he was let go. See what Gunn had to say below:

"It was conveyed to me by Kevin Feige [the Marvel Studios president]. I called Kevin the morning it was going on, and I said, 'Is this a big deal?' And he goes, 'I don’t know.' That was a moment. I was like, 'You don’t know?' I was surprised. Later he called me — he himself was in shock — and told me what the powers that be had decided. It was unbelievable. And for a day, it seemed like everything was gone. Everything was gone. I was going to have to sell my house. I was never going to be able to work again. That’s what it felt like."

James Gunn and Michael Rooker on set of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

The news of Gunn's dismissal from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 sent a shockwave through Hollywood, with some defending the studio's decision while most criticized it due to the right-wing publications that were digging the tweets back up and tying them to the #MeToo movement and because of his addressing them and apologizing for them in the past. While Disney's swift reversal similarly saw the House of Mouse coming under fire for realizing the error of their ways, it was still seen as a win for fans, Gunn and the Guardians of the Galaxy cast. The cherry on top for his rehiring was the studios electing to allow Gunn as much time as needed to finish shooting The Suicide Squad before asking him to come back.

Losing a job is never easy on anyone, let alone something as massive as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, essentially Gunn's baby. Hearing his comments of the devastation he felt upon Feige confirming the powers that be elected to dismiss him would be more heartbreaking had he not been invited to return for the film, but thankfully that punch is softened by his rehiring. Though production won't get underway on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 until November, audiences can at least look forward to the return of Gunn's mind on screen when The Suicide Squad hits theaters and HBO Max on August 5.

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Source: NY Times