Director James Gunn is back in the good graces of Disney and ready to direct “Guardians of the Galaxy 3.”
It was less than one year ago when Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn called Mr. Gunn’s old tweets revolving around pedophilia and rape “indefensible and inconsistent with our studio’s value.”
Deadline Hollywood reported in an exclusive released Friday that meetings between the two men changed Mr. Horn’s mind.
“I’ve confirmed it with Marvel and Gunn’s camp,” the entertainment website’s Mike Fleming Jr. wrote. “After the firing, Walt Disney Studios president 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.”
“My days saying something just because it’s shocking and trying to get a reaction are over,” Mr. Gunn said in a July 2018 statement. “In the past, I have apologized for humor of mine that hurt people. I truly felt sorry and meant every word of my apologies. For the record, when I made these shocking jokes, I wasn’t living them out. I know this is a weird statement to make, and seems obvious, but, still, here I am, saying it.”
Mr. Gunn’s tweets over the years, for example, included “RT @peteralton I like it when little boys touch me in my silly place. Shhh!” in 2009, and “I’m doing a big Hollywood film adaptation of the Giving Tree with a happy ending — the tree grows back and gives the kid a b—job” in 2011.
The director is also at the helm for a “Suicide Squad” sequel at Warner Bros.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.