# James Gunn fired from Guardians of the Galaxy 3 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 20, 2018, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297 "2018-07-20T21:56:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297/1 "2018-07-20T21:56:05Z")
[AP story here](https://apnews.com/675fb2fba8c341a2aa25e5cfbd92c910/Director-James-Gunn-fired-from-'Guardians-3'-over-old-tweets): > [@](#): > > James Gunn was fired Friday as director of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” because of old tweets that recently emerged where he joked about subjects like pedophilia and rape. > > Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn announced the removal. > > “The offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James’ Twitter feed are indefensible and inconsistent with our studio’s values, and we have severed our business relationship with him,” Horn said in a statement. > > Gunn has been writer and director of the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise from the start, taking an obscure Marvel Comics title about a group of multicolored misfits and turning it into a space opera decked with comedy and retro music that made Chris Pratt a major movie star. Through two installments the franchise has brought in more than $1.5 billion in global box office. > > Gunn apologized for the old tweets Friday after his firing, echoing similar sentiments he expressed on Twitter a day earlier. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297/2 "2018-07-20T22:34:39Z")
Sucks for the movie, but maybe they can get Taika Watiti to direct it. I don’t have much sympathy for Gunn. “I did it when I was younger, I’ve grown past that.” It was fucking 7 years ago dude. You were in your 40s. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297/3 "2018-07-20T22:35:59Z")
A Right Wing Blogger dug into his feed to find them and create a dust up. Obviously “payback” for Roseanne being fired for nutty racist tweets she did today and not 6 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297/4 "2018-07-20T22:45:11Z")
They were shitty and offensive jokes, but that’s all they were. I hope Disney reconsiders. James Gunn’s discarded fingernail clippings have more talent than Roseanne. And he’s generally, shitty jokes to one side, a pretty decent guy. Has anyone other than a couple of notorious right wing trolls and their followers actually complained? I guess this is reason 4,783,091 to never ever open a twitter account. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297/5 "2018-07-20T22:45:24Z")
Payback or not, it was some seriously nasty shit, and it was hardly an isolated incident. He seems to like to “joke” about pedophilia a lot. [http://archive.is/MdOm6](http://archive.is/MdOm6) ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297/6 "2018-07-20T23:00:04Z")
There was very little joke and a whole lot of horrifically nasty about the comments I read. I’m a whole lot of shocked and unhappy about this. I liked the Guardians films more than any of the other MCU films, and have been looking forward to the 3rd. Yeah, here’s hoping that Taika Watiti takes over. And yes, in the days when internet comments live forever, there is no forgiveness for past mistakes, misspeakings, drunken ramblings, or attempts to be shocking for the sake of being shocking. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297/7 "2018-07-21T00:18:06Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > A Right Wing Blogger dug into his feed to find them and create a dust up. Obviously “payback” for Roseanne being fired for nutty racist tweets she did today and not 6 years ago. Wait, what? Again? Is there a link? Because that strikes me as a FAR more entertaining story. F’rinstance, I didn’t know she had gotten herself another job. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297/8 "2018-07-21T00:22:40Z")
[Rosanne today.](https://www.rawstory.com/2018/07/fired-tv-star-roseanne-barr-launches-new-broadside-abc-firing-voted-trump/) The interesting things about Gunn is that the tweets were dug up and spread by the same asshole who perpetrated Gamergate. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297/9 "2018-07-21T00:26:09Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > [Rosanne today.](https://www.rawstory.com/2018/07/fired-tv-star-roseanne-barr-launches-new-broadside-abc-firing-voted-trump/) > > The interesting things about Gunn is that the tweets were dug up and spread by the same asshole who perpetrated Gamergate. Yeah, that’s the infuriating thing. If this had been brought to light by an in house investigation or some random person, I’d be much more sanguine, though still sad. But Disney looks pathetic dancing to Mike Cernovich’s tune. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297/10 "2018-07-21T01:53:24Z")
Cernovich didn’t author the tweets, he just brought them to light. It’s something that happens to many celebs, regardless of politics. It’s a hatchet job, for sure, but it is nothing new. Big difference is that Gunn immediately took the high road, as opposed to Barr still making excuses. And maybe, just maybe, if enough people get shit-slapped for posting and saying and doing stupid shit in the age of pervasive recording and the internet never forgetting, people will eventually learn to stop doing stupid shit. And on that day, we will also discover that unicorns really exist. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297/11 "2018-07-21T02:35:38Z")
Man, this sucks on multiple levels. I was never sure if I liked James Gunn all that much, but this is a mess that may ruin his big budget career forever. He’ll have to go back to indie horror permanently. In most cases like this I would see it as overreaction, but though I haven’t read the tweets in question, I accept others’ assessment that they really were more than problematic. Fair enough, then. ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297/12 "2018-07-21T02:43:47Z")
So, am I now going to get in trouble for the dead baby jokes I told as a child? Sometimes jokes are funny precisely because they are over-the-top offensive. ---
**Author:** ![Tarwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@Tarwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarwater)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297/13 "2018-07-21T04:18:30Z")
Dumbest, most bullshit snap judgment in awhile. Gunn’s film immediately preceding _Guardians_, and which probably secured him his deal with Marvel to begin with, was _Super_, which notably has a scene played for comedy wherein a young Ellen Page rapes a middle-aged superhero wannabe played by Rainn Wilson. Who is so distraught afterward that he vomits. Which isn’t even to mention PG Porn or Gunn’s early work with Troma. So the notion that he suddenly got fired for his tweets is bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297/14 "2018-07-21T04:20:48Z")
> [@caligulathegod](#): > > So, am I now going to get in trouble for the dead baby jokes I told as a child? Sometimes jokes are funny precisely because they are over-the-top offensive. That depends. Did you go on a social media site and tell them? If you did, you’re pretty much screwed and the fact you were a minor at the time won’t excuse you. Just ask [Josh Hader](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2018/07/20/josh-hader-apology-brewers-teammates-just-start-long-road-redemption/808262002/). I hate to repeat a cliche’ but on the internet, everything’s written in ink. That’s something has to be drilled into the head of every child before he or she goes on-line for the first time. ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297/15 "2018-07-21T04:36:50Z")
If there had been social media 40 years ago, who knows? But there’s a huge difference between hate-filled rants and jokes that are so over-the-top they are obviously meant to be shock humor. Lenny Bruce fought this battle 60 years ago. I call BS on someone being offended by specifically searching out jokes long buried, anyway. It’s like hanging out in an outhouse and complaining about the stench. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297/16 "2018-07-21T07:04:00Z")
If those were meant to be jokes they were some of the least funny I’ve ever come across. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297/17 "2018-07-21T07:43:32Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > If those were meant to be jokes they were some of the least funny I’ve ever come across. I read them. It seemed like he was ripping off Daniel Tosh. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297/18 "2018-07-21T07:54:13Z")
Yeah, they read like a teenager wanting to make edgy comedy. Stuff like: _\>“Eagle snatches kid” is what I call it when I get lucky._ Har har. Get it? Yeah. Hardly the most offensive thing in the world. Probably too rich for the house of the Mouse, but nothing to get too scandalized over. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297/19 "2018-07-21T13:34:21Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > Yeah, they read like a teenager wanting to make edgy comedy. Stuff like: > > _\>“Eagle snatches kid” is what I call it when I get lucky._ > > Har har. Get it? Not entirely, I must admit. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297/20 "2018-07-21T16:39:25Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > Yeah, they read like a teenager wanting to make edgy comedy. Stuff like: > > _\>“Eagle snatches kid” is what I call it when I get lucky._ > > Har har. Get it? Yeah. > > Hardly the most offensive thing in the world. Probably too rich for the house of the Mouse, but nothing to get too scandalized over. I agree. A lot of these jokes are really lame, but overall this really isn’t pinging my outrage meter. Doesn’t Seth MacFarlane make tasteless rape and pedophilia jokes all the time, and get paid handsomely for it? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3/818297.md?page=2)