James Gunn rehired as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Disney has decided to bring back writer/director James Gunn for the third installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy.

James Gunn’s firing from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 came as a disappointment to many fans of his Marvel franchise. But after months of silence on the matter, it appears that Disney has had a change of heart.

Deadline has learned that Disney has brought James Gunn back to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, thus allowing him to finish his trilogy. The trade has also confirmed the news with both Disney and Gunn’s representatives.

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According to Deadline, Disney actually decided to bring Gunn back for the project months ago, following conversations between Gunn and the Marvel Studios and Disney teams. Walt Disney Studios President Alan Horn, who made the initial decision to fire Gunn, subsequently met with the filmmaker multiple times to discuss the matter. Horn was reportedly impressed with Gunn’s apology and handling of his release. This would eventually solidified the decision to bring him back.

As many remember, Gunn was originally dropped from the project after old tweets referencing pedophilia were found on his Twitter account. As a result, the film was reportedly put on hiatus by Marvel Studios. Following his termination, many advocated for Gunn to be reinstated, including the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy.

What makes this situation even more interesting is that Gunn has reportedly signed on to write and direct The Suicide Squad for Warner Bros. and DC Films. That film is expected to start production near the end of the year and hit the big screen in 2021. However, THR’s Borys Kit reports that Gunn will do both projects, starting with Sucide Squad.

Regardless, Gunn will likely keep his toe in both the DCEU and MCU. This is a surprising development, to say the least. But many will undoubtedly be happy to see Gunn return to the MCU to finish his cosmic trilogy.