Disney, who owns Marvel Studios, has decided to sack James Gunn as director of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”.
This news comes after a series of his old twisted and controversial tweets resurfaced this week. His tweets and previous blogpost saw him making crude jokes on pedophilia and rape.
In February 2011, Gunn’s official website published “The 50 Superheroes You Most Want to Have Sex With: 2nd Annual Poll Results” where graphic blurbs were often created for each entrant. For instance, he called the card-throwing X-Men mutant Gambit a “Cajun fruit”. He added that the idea of his private parts rubbing against Gambit’s in a threesome “makes me sick to my stomach”.
The filmmaker also made fun of LGBT superhero Batwoman, hoping that a Marvel-DC crossover could happen with Tony Stark “turning her”. He then suggested that Iron Man’s playboy alter ego “lose the current prison p*ssy and go back to the ‘stache”.
He also called X-Men villainess Emma Frost “a rude bitch” for finishing off on the face of super heroine Spider-Woman. The Flash, who reportedly received many votes from the queer fans, was not spared either. “I have no idea why this is. But I do know if I was going to get f**ked in the butt, I too would want it to be by someone who would get it over with quick.”
Between 2008 to 2011, Gunn also tweeted out some offensive jokes, saying, “I’m doing a big Hollywood film adaptation of The Giving Tree with a happy ending — the tree grows back and gives the kid a blow job”. In another, he wrote, “The Expendables was so manly I f**ked the s**t out of the little pussy boy next to me! The boys ARE back in town!”
Not long after coming under fire for his years-old, off-colour tweets for “slut shaming” and “using anti-gay languages”, Gunn issued a lengthy apology on his social account. He said: “A couple of years ago I wrote a blog that was meant to be satirical and funny. In rereading it over the past day I don’t think it’s funny. The attempted humour in the blog does not represent my actual feelings. However, I can see where statements were poorly worded and offensive to many.
“I’m sorry and regret making them at all. People who are familiar with me as evidenced by my Facebook page and other mediums know that I’m an outspoken proponent for the rights of the gay and lesbian community, women and anyone who feels disenfranchised, and it kills me that some other outsider like myself, despite his or her gender or sexuality, might feel hurt or attacked by something I said,” the director continued.
He added, “We’re all in the same camp, and I want to do my best to make this world a better place for all of us. I’m learning all the time. I promise to be more careful with my words in the future. And I will do my best to be funnier as well. Much love to all.”
1. Many people who have followed my career know when I started, I viewed myself as a provocateur, making movies and telling jokes that were outrageous and taboo. As I have discussed publicly many times, as I’ve developed as a person, so has my work and my humor.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 20, 2018
3. In the past, I have apologized for humor of mine that hurt people. I truly felt sorry and meant every word of my apologies.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 20, 2018
5. Anyway, that’s the completely honest truth: I used to make a lot of offensive jokes. I don’t anymore. I don’t blame my past self for this, but I like myself more and feel like a more full human being and creator today. Love you to you all.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 20, 2018
Despite his apology, Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn has condemned Gunn’s actions.
“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,” Horn was quoted as saying.
Gunn had been working on the script for “Guardians 3“, which is expected to debut sometime in 2020.
Sources: Comic Book, News.
