Disney fired James Gunn for a ten-year-old attempt “to be provocative” that have no place in today’s society and the stars of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy‘ feel that not only has the director changed but that the studio should re-hire him. To call his jokes off color is to downplay exactly how badly they were, even at the time. This is an era of James Gunn‘s life where he worked in horror and associated with some pretty raunchy folks. This isn’t an excuse for what he said, but it is putting things into perspective when we flash forward ten years to a man who by all appearances has changed.
You can argue if he has or not until the cows come home but what we see here is that many of the principal cast members from the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ franchise have penned a heartfelt letter to try and share their experience with the director. They’re calling for James Gunn to be reinstated for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ and are also stressing that many of the major points of the films, redemption, is being denied by not doing so.
You can see the letter which was shared across social media and signed by Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, and Michael Rooker right here:
For those who can’t see Instagram posts from where they are at you can read it here:
An Open Letter from the Cast of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy”
To our fans and friends:
We fully support James Gunn. We were all shocked by his abrupt firing last week and have intentionally waited these ten days to respond in order to think, pray, listen, and discuss. In that time we have been encouraged by the outpouring of support from fans and members of the media who wish to see James reinstated as director of Volume 3, as well as discouraged by those who were so easily duped into believing the many outlandish conspiracy theories around him.
Being in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies has been a great honor in each of our lives. We cannot let this moment pass without expressing our love, support, and gratitude for James. We are not here to defend his jokes of many years ago but rather to share our experience having spent many years together on set making Guardians of the Galaxy 1 and 2. The character he has shown in the wake of his firing is consistent with the man he was every day on set, and his apology, now and from years ago when first addressing these remarks, we believe is from the heart, a heart we all know, trust, and love. In casting each of us to help him tell the story of misfits who find redemption, he changed our lives forever. We believe the theme of redemption has never been more relevant than now.
Each of us looks forward to working with our friend James again in the future. His story isn’t over – not by a long shot.
There is little due process in the court of public opinion. James is likely not the last good person to be put on trial. Given the growing political divide in this country, it’s safe to say instances like this will continue, although we hope Americans from across the political spectrum can ease up on the character assassinations and stop weaponizing mob mentality.
It is our hope that what has transpired can serve as an example for all of us to realize the enormous responsibility we have to ourselves and to each other regarding the use of our written words when we etch them in digital stone; that we as a society may learn from this experience and in the future will think twice before we decide what we want to express; and in so learning perhaps can harness this capability to help and heal instead of hurting each other. Thank you for taking the time to read our words.
The Guardians of the Galaxy
The cast is clearly standing with Gunn, and at the time of this posting, the change.org petition has over 350,000 signatures on it asking for the director to be reinstated.
That being said, much of what Gunn has said was completely unacceptable when he shared his previous messaged let alone in today’s climate. It is easy to see why Disney would stick to their guns even over such a vocal outcry.
What do you think of Pom Klementieff’s fantastic signature? Is it clearly the best of all of the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’? Share your thoughts below, True Believers!
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
