Some of you may have already forgotten about this but Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn was unceremoniously fired by Disney in 2018 after his old "controversial" tweets resurfaced all over social media. The heat the director received during the time was extremely nuclear that the company had no choice but to "temporarily" sever its ties with the acclaimed director.
Dave Bautista was one of the first actors who quickly came to the defense of the director as soon as the issue blew up. He even risked his career and threatened to walk out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe if Disney didn't reinstate him. Thankfully, a month following the fiasco, cooler heads prevailed and the House of Mouse would bring back the director who is now set to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Now, three years after the controversy made headlines, Dave is opening up about his renewed respect for the company. In an interview with JoBlo to promote his new zombie action flick Army of the Dead, the former multi-time WWE champion said: "Obviously, I'm happy. Ecstatic. But, also I think it's a big statement for Disney to go back on a decision like that. Like, I think that's a huge statement, a very political statement. It's not something they needed to do, not at that point, but they basically stepped back and did the right thing and I think that's a huge statement. So, not to sound condescending, but I'm very proud of Disney."
Bautista continued: "I'm sure that wasn't easy for them because they're basically admitting to the world they made a mistake, they're wrong. But, also, what that statement says goes a long way. So, hopefully, that'll stop-I don't know if it'll stop, but maybe it'll deter people from making rash decisions like that from the past, and people will see political attacks like that for what they are, cause that's all it was really."
In the end, Big Dave reiterated that Gunn's initial firing was a political attack and that he's proud of Disney's move to bring him back during the height of the issue. "It was a political attack and it was a rash decision, it was a bad decision. It empowered really horrible people. So, I think for them to go back when they didn't have to at that point was a huge step. I'm very proud of them."
You gotta admire the former wrestler turned actor for his loyalty towards Gunn and you can totally see that there's mutual respect between the two. Bautista sticking up for the director says a lot about his character and quite frankly, we all need a friend like him who's willing to go to extreme lengths for the people he cares about.
Meanwhile, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is in development.
Also Read: Guardians of the Galaxy Star Dave Bautista Expresses Disappointment Over Avengers Role
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