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Director James Gunn fired from 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' following ' indefensible' past tweets

3:50
'Guardians of the Galaxy' Red Carpet Premiere: Director James Gunn
Jordan Strauss/Invision via AP
Michael Rothman
ByMichael Rothman
July 20, 2018, 9:27 PM

Disney Studios fired director James Gunn after his past tweets were recently discovered and deemed "indefensible."

This means he won't be working on his very popular "Guardians of the Galaxy" series with Marvel, including the upcoming "Vol. 3."

Gunn made headlines this week when past tweets were discovered that included disturbing themes like pedophilia, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"The offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James’ Twitter feed are indefensible and inconsistent with our studio’s values, and we have severed our business relationship with him," Walt Disney Studios said in a statement to ABC News on Friday.

Gunn has deleted his Twitter account, but before he did, he acknowledged the past behavior and said, "when I started, I viewed myself as a provocateur."

While his Twitter account is down, his Instagram is still up and he recently posted old photos from the first two "Guardians" films.

"My words of nearly a decade ago were, at the time, totally failed and unfortunate efforts to be provocative. I have regretted them for many years since — not just because they were stupid, not at all funny, wildly insensitive, and certainly not provocative like I had hoped, but also because they don't reflect the person I am today or have been for some time," Gunn said in a statement.

"Regardless of how much time has passed, I understand and accept the business decisions taken today. Even these many years later, I take full responsibility for the way I conducted myself then. All I can do now, beyond offering my sincere and heartfelt regret, is to be the best human being I can be: accepting, understanding, committed to equality, and far more thoughtful about my public statements and my obligations to our public discourse. To everyone inside my industry and beyond, I again offer my deepest apologies. Love to all."

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

Related Topics

  • Marvel

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