The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a well-oiled machine over the last decade and change of filmmaking. But there have been a few major shake ups along the way, including the temporary firing of James Gunn ahead of Guardians 3. Gunn was eventually rehired, but his career and the cosmic franchise both seemed in jeopardy for a time. And the acclaimed filmmaker recently reflected on being fired, saying “It was like holy shit.” Can you blame him?
James Gunn was fired back in July of 2020, after offensive tweets from a decade ago resurfaced. The fans and his co-workers rallied around him, with the Guardians cast even writing a letter of solidarity in his defense. Gunn recently appeared on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum, where he opened up about that time in his life. In the director/writer/producer’s words:
For a beat there it was like, 'Holy shit. I've been working my entire life to be loved by all of these people, by the world, so I can feel okay about myself. And everything I've worked for is gone.’ At that point, I thought that I was going to have to sell my house and move away, that my career was completely over. And for a brief moment, it was devastating.
Talk about some high stakes. James Gunn thought he had been “canceled” for good when he was fired from Guardians 3, possibly ending his career as a filmmaker altogether. That obviously wasn’t the case, but it sounds like he had serious worries about even supporting himself financially.
As we all know, that wasn’t the case. James Gunn’s temporary firing opened up his schedule to film The Suicide Squad for DC. And that movie no doubt influenced why Gunn was hired as the new co-CEO of the DCU as a whole. And in addition to the success of Guardians 3, Gunn also worked on the Groot miniseries and the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
Later in that same interview, the visionary director opened up about how he coped during this challenging time. As he’s previously shared, the Guardians cast rallied around Gunn, including the great Sylvester Stallone. In his words:
Then I started to try to take care of myself, do the best I can. But the thing that was so amazing to me was, in that moment of lowness, when I couldn't help anyone, is when people came to me and showed me the greatest love. People like you, especially my future wife, Jen [Holland], my family, my mom and dad. You know, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, all of the Guardians. Zoe [Saldana] coming over and cooking me dinner. Sylvester Stallone. The amount of people that showed me love in a moment when I was completely weak.
While the film world is indeed a business, this story shows the strong relationships that can form between collaborators. James Gunn worked on the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise for a decade, and formed a strong bond with the actors. And even though Vol. 3 ended the story of the current team, smart money says the friendships will continue
Guardians 3 is still in theaters now, and the next upcoming Marvel movie following suit will be The Marvels on November 10th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
