When Disney fired writer-director James Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3, due to some old offensive tweets which were dug up, we figured a backlash might happen. Disney had to protect its family friendly image, Gunn's tweets were far from innocent, so the decision to oust the writer-director was a no-brainer. Earlier this week, the cast of 'Guardians' had released a statement in support of Gunn. The statement read as "yes, we know his tweets were wrong, but Gunn is a good guy and has grown as an individual since then.
The cast begging Disney to reinstate Gunn seems to have not worked at all, Variety is reporting that Disney is unlikely to rehire Gunn. “I don’t see Disney re-hiring him,” said a person close to the toon company. “Those tweets were so horrible and Disney has a different standard then other studios.” The article also states that “Gunn’s firing was approved by Disney Studios chief Alan Horn, with his boss, company CEO Bob Iger weighing in on the final decision.” the article goes on to add “Disney insiders say the company was not aware of the offensive tweets and was taken aback when they were recirculated.”
Listen, I won't delve into the nitty-gritty of what
Disney qualifies as “standards," but Gunn's tweets were fairly outrageous
and not welcome at all. However, people are allowed to change, better
themselves, progress. After all, politicians that didn't support gay
marriage just a decade ago have done a 180 and support it today (Obama,
Clinton, most of the Democratic Party). Have they been fired for their past? Of
course not. People are allowed to adapt to the times, aren't they? Let us not
forget that the man himself, Walt Disney, had a terrible
past of anti-Semitism and associating himself with Extremist groups. Do we
now have to change Disney's name to forget about the past, of course not and,
anyways, they can't afford to change the name because of how the ridiculous
value of the Disney brand.
Variety also adds that, despite their protests, the 'Guardians' actors cannot exit 'Guardians 3' due to contractual obligations. What will Disney do then to replace Gunn's uniquely irreverent style? Oh, and how about that '70s kitschy soundtrack Guardians is so well known to use? Who knows! But it looks like Disney thrust themselves in lose-lose situation, a controversy that isn't about to be silenced.