'Guardians Of The Galaxy' Director James Gunn Fired After Offensive Tweets Resurface
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LOS ANGELES (AP) - James Gunn has been fired 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 said in a statement Friday that the tweets are indefensible, and the studio has severed ties with Gunn.
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 misfits and turning it into two huge hits that together totaled more than $1.5 billion in global box office.
Gunn on Thursday sent several tweets saying he was sorry for trying in the past to get laughs through shock value.
1. Many people who have followed my career know when I started, I viewed myself as a provocateur, making movies and telling jokes that were outrageous and taboo. As I have discussed publicly many times, as I've developed as a person, so has my work and my humor.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 20, 2018
His publicists did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
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