After being exiled from Disney, there may be a glimmer of hope for James Gunn to be re-hired as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
According to Deadline, executives within Marvel Studios are trying to convince Disney to reconsider its decision to fire Gunn. Deadline reports:
Sources said the Marvel contingent is trying to persuade Disney to explore a compromise that might bring Gunn back into the fold for Guardians 3, something that clearly would be best for the franchise. There is no clash or strong arming here. I’m told its a discussion that comes in the wake of the whole cast declaring their loyalty to Gunn, whose abrupt exit has put a thriving film franchise in a rocky place.
The amount of support Gunn has received—particularly from the movie’s core cast—gives Marvel plenty of reason to at least speak with Disney. By now, the backlash over Gunn’s offensive tweets has mostly blown over. The only thing people can talk about is the fact that Disney made a hasty decision.
Marvel is a huge part of the Disney machine, and Guardians of the Galaxy was expected to play a major role in the expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe following the conclusion of Avengers 4. Now, those plans might be in disarray as the Gunn controversy goes on.
At the very least, Disney is said to be using Gunn’s script for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, so at least the ethos of the franchise will be intact. But making the cast and crew—and, indeed, executives—happy will make for a far more enjoyable movie.
Disney still has yet to publicly respond to the letter penned by the core Guardians cast, and the studio can’t ignore the outcry to re-hire Gunn forever. In lieu of hiring Thor: Ragnarok’s Taika Waititi, perhaps the best thing to do would be to ask Gunn to come back.
