Disney never even looked for a replacement for James Gunn on Guardians 3
James Gunn is back in the Disney fold and ready to direct the third Guardians of the Galaxy film.
The director was previously let go from the Marvel franchise, with his old tweets joking about rape and paedophilia resurfacing being named as the reason.
But it's now been reported that Disney didn't search for a replacement for Gunn during the eight months he was off the project.
Deadline reports that the studio didn't consider or meet with anyone else. This has yet to be confirmed by Disney Studios.
Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi was rumoured to be in the pipeline, however he said although he would like to film another Marvel, it wouldn't be GOTG3. That didn't stop him poking fun at the rumour following Gunn's reinstatement.
"What the hell?? I thought I was going to do it!!" he tweeted.
Deadline adds that Gunn won over Disney head honcho Alan Horn with his sincerity, and the decision to bring him back was actually made months ago.
In a statement posted to Twitter, Gunn said that he was "tremendously grateful" to be reinstated.
- James Gunn (@JamesGunn) March 15, 2019
"I am tremendously grateful to every person out there who has supported me over the past few months," he wrote.
"I am always learning and will continue to work at being the best human being I can be. I deeply appreciate Disney's decision and I am excited to continue making films that investigate the ties of love that bind us all.
"I have been and continue to be incredibly humbled by your love and support. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Love to you all."
The studio faced a large backlash over the decision to fire Gunn from the project, with the Guardians cast leading the call for him to be given his job back. Dave Bautista, who plays Drax the Destroyer in the superhero series, was especially critical of the company.
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