Guardians Of The Galaxy Cast Calls For Disney To Rehire James Gunn
The Guardians of the Galaxy have teamed up to fight their most formidable foe yet — the titanic Walt Disney Corporation.
In a remarkable open letter posted to Star-Lord actor Chris Pratt's Instagram page, the entire principle cast of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies has released a signed message calling for the reinstatement of series writer-director James Gunn.
Gunn was initially fired by Disney — which owns Marvel Studios — on July 20, following an online campaign to unseat him led by far-right media personalities. The targeted campaign dredged up dozens of old tweets of Gunn's — offensive jokes for which he had apologized years prior — and bombarded Disney with messages about them, stoking a perception of mass outrage.
Gunn was seemingly targeted less for the offensive nature of his old tweets, which have been public knowledge for many years, and more likely due to his modern-day opposition to right-wing politics. It's a political angle to which the cast's open letter refers.
"There is little due process in the court of public opinion," the letter read, in part. "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."
Since Gunn's firing, those same voices that got him axed have targeted other popular media figures who are perceived as being more left-leaning, such as Rick and Morty creator Dan Harmon, comedian Patton Oswalt, and The Daily Show host Trevor Noah, hoping to replicate the success they had with dethroning Gunn. As the situation has become more clear, the Guardians movies' cast members are apparently now willing to throw their hats in with the #RehireJamesGunn movement, consequences be damned.
According to the letter, the cast members 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 so easily duped into believing the many outlandish conspiracy theories surrounding him."
Aside from the fact that the political discourse in the United States has apparently devolved into the left and the right screaming accusations of pedophilia at each other, this is encouraging news, if bittersweet. If the full cast's principled stand sways Disney, then Gunn could well be rehired to finish the work he started as the writer-director of the third Guardians movie, which was expected to begin shooting next year for release in 2020. If Disney doesn't budge, then it's possible that the Guardians of the Galaxy story has reached the end of its road. Either way, the cast has made it clear that they're on Gunn's side — an unexpectedly heartwarming turn for a very ugly tale.
Read the entire text of the Guardians of the Galaxy cast's open letter via Chris Pratt's Instagram post below.