Well, this is just a right ol’ mess, isn’t it.
In July, Disney fired James Gunn, after conservative activists resurfaced Gunn’s history of controversial Tweets. Since then, the Guardians of the Galaxy series that Gunn wrote and directed has been increasingly in flux, with conflicting reports on whether or not the film would use Gunn’s script, and now, reportedly, it being put on hold altogether.
Throughout all of this, actor Dave Bautista (Drax) has been staunch in his support of Gunn, taking to social media and press opportunities to denounce Disney’s actions and come out in favor of Gunn. Previously, he threatened not to do the movie if Disney didn’t use Gunn’s script. Now, it seems he’s not sure he wants to do it at all.
In a recent interview on The Jonathan Ross Show, Bautista confirms that the movie is on hold and further explains his ambivalent position on matters:
There’s a bit of an issue. It’s a bittersweet conversation. No - it’s a bitter, bitter conversation, because I’m not really happy with what they’ve done with James Gunn. They’re putting the movie off. It’s on hold indefinitely. To be honest with you, I don’t know if I want to work for Disney... I’ve been very vocal about the way I feel. I’m not afraid to admit the way I feel.
Whether or not Disney was justified in firing Gunn—which is a discussion we don’t have the space for here—this is a right mess now. Guardians was Marvel Studios’ secondary flagship franchise , and now its entire future, along with the support of many of the MCU’s most popular stars, is in jeopardy.
However the MCU looks in the future, it’s probably going to be a good deal different than we expected just a couple of months ago.