It may seem like forever ago, but it was only back in July 2018 that James Gunn was let go from directing GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 after tweets from decades ago spurred a controversy that Disney felt warranted a reaction. Six months later and we still have no director(s) for the movie, and at this point, the whole project seems to be on indefinite hold. Names of possible directors have been tossed out by fans in hopes Disney and Marvel will take note, but directors Edgar Wright (BABY DRIVER) and Chris Miller (THE LEGO MOVIE) have their own pick: James Gunn.
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A fan recently posted a tweet mentioning Miller (and directing partner Phil Lord), Wright and THOR: RAGNAROK’s Taika Waititi as their dream choices to take on GUARDIANS 3. These names have been tossed around by many in the past given their ability to balance off-beat humor with heartfelt emotion, but Wright soon chimed in with his own suggestion.
“I’d like to throw in this suggestion too: @JamesGunn,” he said.
To that Miller seconded the option, saying, “He would be a good fit tonally.”
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Miller’s response seems to be a bit more playful in tone than Wright’s, but I don’t doubt these two men are serious about thinking Gunn should be reinstated to the project. They join many other Hollywood figures in thinking the same, with the cast of the movie even signing a letter urging the studio to take him back, with Dave Bautista especially not taking kindly to Disney’s move. However, as detailed in reports since then it seems the House of Mouse is standing by their call to keep Gunn off the project.
For a moment it’s easy to think maybe Disney did the move to save face, and would perhaps bring him back on when the dust settled (six months not long enough?), but in the months since his firing Gunn has taken on a new, big project with a new SUICIDE SQUAD movie for DC, and while we have no clue what that movie will actually be its no doubt a major project for him that makes coming back for GUARDIANS a tad tricky.
Like Wright and Miller I believe Gunn is still the best man for the job, and though Disney may disagree, my hope is that they will realize that letting him go was maybe not the best response to things. My dream scenario is that enough directors keep their hands off the project to the point where Disney has no choice but to bring him back, but I know my dreams will probably never come true…so my parents have said.