Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3: Has James Gunn been rehired to direct?

James Gunn was infamously fired from the third instalment of Guardians of the Galaxy last year. Without Gunn at the helm, the fate of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 was up in the air. But a mere hour ago, Deadline reported Gunn was back in the director’s chair.

Has James Gunn been rehired by Disney for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3?

Yes, James Gunn himself has confirmed this in a tweet.

Gunn posted a screenshot of a note to Twitter, which said: “I am tremendously grateful to every person out there who has supported me over the past few months.

“I am always learning and will continue to work at being the best human being I can be.

“I deeply appreciate Disney’s decision and I am excited to continue making films that investigate the ties of love that bind us all.

“I have been, and continue to be incredibly humbled by your love and support.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Love to you all.”

Gunn had been fired when a series of inappropriate tweets from 2008 resurfaced, in part due to the online nagging of right-wing political pundits on Twitter.

Deadline reported Disney’s reversal on Gunn’s firing came months ago after a series of meetings.

Deadline wrote: “After the firing, Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn met with Gunn on multiple occasions to discuss the situation.

“Persuaded by Gunn’s public apology and his handling of the situation after, Horn decided to reverse course and reinstate Gunn.”

The website also accurately contextualised Gunn’s Tweets by writing: “The social media messages were indefensible, but the filmmaker never did anything but blame himself for poor judgment displayed at a time when he was emerging from the Troma film factory and attempting to be a provocateur.”

The decision to reinstate Gunn was made complicated by Gunn’s role as writer-director of Suicide Squad 2 for Warner Bros.

But Disney has agreed to wait until Suicide Squad 2 has finished production to begin work on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3.

Marvel head Kevin Feige has yet to release any statement regarding Gunn’s reinstatement.

Gunn had previously written a script which Marvel had confirmed would be used for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3.

The Guardians’ cast and Dave Bautista, in particular, were vocal supporters of Gunn during the controversy last year.

Suicide Squad 2 is scheduled for an August 6, 2020 release date.

Details on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 are still under wraps. For now.