Director James Gunn has been dropped from the ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ franchise, after a string of offensive tweets posted from his account were unearthed.
James previously directed both of the recent ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ films, and had been attached to helm the upcoming third instalment.
However, BBC News reports that when a string of historic tweets joking about paedophilia and sexual assault were discovered, Disney - who now look after projects in the Marvel cinematic universe - announced that they were letting him go.
In a statement, Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn said: “The offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James’ Twitter feed are indefensible and inconsistent with our studio’s values, and we have severed our business relationship with him.”
While James is yet to publicly acknowledge this latest development, he previously spoke out about the offensive post in a string of posts earlier this week, insisting he’s “very, very different” than he was “a few years ago”.
He said: “Today I try to root my work in love and connection and less in anger. My days saying something just because it’s shocking and trying to get a reaction are over.”
James both wrote and directed 2014’s ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’, which starred Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Bradley Cooper, as well as its sequel, which came out in 2017.
It’s yet to be announced who will take over directorial duties on the third film in the franchise, which is currently slated for release in 2020.
In addition to his work on ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’, James previously directed the 2004 remake ‘Dawn Of The Dead’, the horror film ‘Slither’ and the big screen adaptation of ‘Scooby Doo’.