According to Variety, Disney will definitely not be rehiring James Gunn for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.”
The trade also confirms that Feige was, indeed, pushing for Gunn to be rehired, but that, after Disney made the firing official, he ultimately supported the mouse house's decision to terminate Feige's contract.
Now, Marvel has to look for a replacement. Taika Waititi ("Thor: Ragnarok," "Hunt for the Wilder People," "What We Do in the Shadows") would be the no-brainer candidate to choose from, but does the director want to do it? Waititi's humor would fit very well with Gunn's 'Guardians' vision and would even bring an extra something that could make the film feel like a Waititi 'Guardians' film.
Hiring the New Zealand-born director would also help ease tensions between the fans and Disney, which are currently at an all-time high. Waititi is well-loved by the fans, especially after the impressive job he did with "Thor: Ragnarok," a higher-tier leveled Marvel movie which felt more along the lines of Gunn's humor than any of the "Captain America" and "Iron Man" movies.
Not too soon after Gunn was fired fans went on social media to voice their approval for Waititi to replace him:
“If Disney doesn’t tap Taika Waititi to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 then they’re doing this whole thing wrong,” tweeted a fan.
“After the James Gunn fallout, I nominate Taika Waititi for Guardians of the Galaxy 3. It would be the best Guardians movie yet,” tweeted another fan.
“Give Guardians of the Galaxy to Taika Waititi so I can get the Korg & Groot team up that I didn’t know I wanted until just now.” Another fan added