Despite a petition which has garnered over 360,000 signatures – and a letter of support from the cast – it seems that Disney is “unlikely” to rehire James Gunn for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 following his dismissal last month, and Marvel is already said to be eyeing his replacement.
According to a report over at Variety, multiple insiders have revealed that Disney has no plans to reinstate Gunn, as “the feeling within both Disney and Marvel is that the dozens of so-called jokes that Gunn made about pedophilia and rape are unacceptable in the #MeToo era and are not in line with Disney’s family-friendly image.”
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was about to go into pre-production prior to Gunn being fired, with a view to releasing the movie in 2020. However, it seems those plans could well change, as the studio is apparently in no rush to find a replacement and with the likes of Jon Favreau (Iron Man), Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok) and Joe and Anthony Russo (Avengers: Infinity War) tied up with other commitments, there is “a higher likelihood that Disney will reach outside the Marvel family to find a director with the kind of offbeat sensibility to handle the comic-book franchise.”
SEE ALSO: James Gunn’s Old Tweets Were Abhorrent But It Makes Little Sense That He Was Fired
Director Scott Derrickson has recently teased a Doctor Strange announcement for September, so perhaps Marvel has decided to push forward with Doctor Strange 2 for 2020, pushing Guardians Vol. 3 further back into Phase Four? While that may or may not be the case, a 2020 release date for the next Guardians movie looks optimistic unless Disney and Marvel do secure another director soon.
If James Gunn isn’t reinstated for Guardians Vol. 3, who would you like to see taking on directing duties? Let us know in the comments below…
Originally published August 3, 2018. Updated August 4, 2018.
