Guardians Of The Galaxy

It has been revealed that Disney and Marvel Studios plan to keep James Gunn‘s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3’ script.  Gunn had already submitted a first draft prior to his getting the ax.  Reportedly, whoever replaces him as director will be free to polish the script (it was a first draft, after all) and add “their own stamp” to the project.

Last week, Dave Bautista (Drax) said that he would be asked to be let out of his contract if Gunn’s script was thrown out.

Yesterday word surfaced, that Gunn and Disney studio chairman Alan Horn sat down for a meeting, but while Horn took the meeting as a courtesy, he refused to reinstate the director.

Disney fired Gunn because his old tweets were considered offensive and not in keeping with Disney’s family-friendly image.  If they really wanted to distance themselves, shouldn’t they scrub him from the project completely and throw out his script as well?  But for some fans, this will be comforting, as this means that ‘Guardians 3’ will at least carry some of Gunn’s signature.  Then again, isn’t it kind of WRONG for them to use his script?  If they fired him, why should they benefit from his work and vision?  So depending on your viewpoint, this news could be seen as comforting, confusing or frustrating.  Either way, as it stands, this means that Gunn will receive a screenwriter credit and the accompanying paycheck.

The question now becomes, will keeping his script be enough?  More so than almost any other Marvel movie, the ‘Guardians’ movies were a product of their director’s vision.  Even among comic book readers, the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ were obscurities, which meant that Marvel gave Gunn the freedom to essentially create the films he wanted from the barest of bones.  And they were a smash!  The first movie was a sensation from the start with its blend of genuine laughs, fast-paced action, and unique character interaction.  Oh and the soundtracks, feature classic light rock hits, hand picked by Gunn, were pretty amazing too.

‘Guardians’ certainly opened the door for ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ and I’d argue the same for ‘Deadpool’ and ‘Suicide Squad’.  In short, ‘Guardians’ is Gunn’s vision.  Is there anyone else out there that can deliver and live up to that?  But maybe that’s a question for another day.

For now, how do you feel about Disney keeping Gunn’s script?  Are you glad that ‘Guardians 3’ will at least deliver the story that Gunn intended?  Or do you think that Disney/Marvel should be forced to start over?

Source: Variety