James Gunn Reflects on Temporary 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Firing in New Interview

Gunn is now back aboard the sequel, having also bagged DC's 'Suicide Squad' movie in the interim.

May 15, 2019

James Gunn is speaking out extensively on his controversial Guardians of the Galaxy 3 firing and eventual rehiring. In a lengthy new chat with Deadlinepublished Wednesday, Gunn—who's also now directing DC's next Suicide Squad movie—likened the initial old-tweets-inspired split to a divorce.

"It was like the breakup of my marriage," he said. "I got divorced, and then had those conversations with my ex-wife: 'Let's get along as well as we possibly can and be kind to each other because we're both a large part of each other's lives.'"

Gunn noted that it was important that he not get to a point where he looked back on his Disney years through a filter of bitterness. And ultimately, Gunn said, he doesn't blame anyone for how things went down. "Disney totally had the right to fire me," he said. "This wasn't a free speech issue."

Read the full interview here, which also includes some promising updates on where's he aiming to take Suicide Squad 2. "I don't think I've had as much fun writing a script since maybe Dawn of the Dead," he said of the film's writing sessions.

Gunn's Guardians collaborators, whose support he characterized Wednesday as "absolutely overwhelming," have since publicly celebrated the director's formal rehiring announcement. Last month, for example, star Chris Pratt let us all know he was "so thrilled" by the move.

"I'm really proud of Disney for hiring James back and ultimately thrilled for not only us, but also for the fans," Pratt said with enthusiasm while being bothered by People people. "I think it's going to wrap up the trilogy in the best way."