Guardians of the Galaxy is the franchise we know today because of James Gunn’s direction and writing ability. Now that the epic conclusion of the trilogy is on the way, fans are excited to see the sensation it will bring to the big screen. Despite GotG being one of the MCU’s memorable offerings, there was a point in the past when Gunn almost wasn’t able to finish telling the story after he was laid off by Disney.
"It was hard. But the things I think of from that time are the love that I got from my family and friends. I think of how Zoe Saldaña and her husband came over to fix me a meal the night after it happened. How Karen Gillan and Pom Klementieff came over to just hang out with me, to be my friend." he told Empire Magazine.
Gunn was fired by Disney in 2018 over a string of provocative tweets he made in the past, then he was reinstated the following year. Gunn also said that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was “on my side the whole time” and that he had heard Disney's Alan Horn “was struggling with it, ethically.”
Given that the director worked with his GotG cast for a long time, the team rallied on his behalf by stating their sentiments about re-hiring Gunn and even signed an open letter in support of it. Dave Bautista (Drax) even threatened to leave the franchise at the time, which he did after Gunn jumped ship to DC.
ALSO READ: James Gunn Defends the Need to Promote An MCU Movie Despite Being Boss of DC
Meanwhile, Pom Klementieff, who plays Mantis in the story, told Empire: “We couldn't imagine a third Guardians directed by anyone else. It didn't make sense at all. I mean, James changed my life. I'll be grateful for him forever.”
Gunn’s need to bring a massive ending to the story of Rocket Raccoon was one of the reasons he fought to come back and finish the trilogy. “I was not going to come back. I had to really ruminate over whether that was what I was going to do ... At the end of the day. The reason I came back was that I needed to finish Rocket's story.” he said.
For now, the director is currently promoting his final contribution to Marvel while he actively works on rebranding the DC Universe as the co-CEO of the company.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on May 5, 2023.
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!