Disney cuts ties with James Gunn over pedophilia tweets
Disney has severed ties with 'Guardians of the Galaxy' director and 'Avengers: Infinity War' producer James Gunn over unearthed tweets from the director joking about pedophilia and rape.
Disney is reportedly planning to use ousted "Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn's script that he wrote for the film despite being fired.
Gunn, who was set to direct the third installment of the popular superhero science fiction franchise, was fired July 20 after decade-old tweets resurfaced in which he joked about topics including pedophilia and rape.
Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn told Fox News that the studio had "severed our business relationship" with Gunn, but The Hollywood Reporter reported Wednesday that the company plans to use the script he wrote for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."
Multiple sources told the news outlet Gunn is stuck in "complicated negotiations with Disney over his exit settlement," and that Disney's plans to use his script is playing a role in that.
Stars support liberal James Gunn, but slam Roseanne Barr
The cast of Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy' released a statement in support of director James Gunn, after offensive tweets resurfaced. Gunn's experience is in sharp contrast to the treatment of Roseanne Barr after she made her own offensive remarks on social media.
Gunn's old tweets, which were dug up by critics online, included lines like, "I like when little boys touch me in my silly place."
"The best thing about being raped is when you're done being raped and it's like 'when this feels great, not being raped!" another tweet read.
Other now-deleted tweets from 2008-2011 included jokes about the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, AIDS and the holocaust.
Gunn apologized, saying that his "words of nearly a decade ago were, at the time, totally failed and unfortunate efforts to be provocative."
SELMA BLAIR DELETED TWITTER IN SOLIDARITY WITH JAMES GUNN
"I have regretted them for many years since — not just because they were stupid, not at all funny, wildly insensitive, and certainly not provocative like I had hoped, but also because they don't reflect the person I am today or have been for some time," Gunn's statement continued.
The "Guardians" cast released an open letter late last month in full support of Gunn and the movie's star, Chris Pratt, personally said he'd "love to see him reinstated as director of Volume 3."
Fox News' Tyler McCarthy contributed to this report.
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