Disney is not going to reverse its decision to fire James Gunn, according to a Variety article that cites sources close to the company.
I’m not surprised. In my opinion, Disney couldn’t rehire him. There are just too many reasons not to. One, yes there are many people who believe Gunn shouldn’t had been fired but there are many people who believe he should have been fired.
Disney also has to consider its main fanbase: families. As a parent, if you read Gunn’s tweets would you want your child influenced by this man? Could you ever watch a Guardians of the Galaxy movie again without thinking about Gunn’s tweets?
Personally, I would have been okay if Gunn was rehired. I do think it’s very tragic that he was fired for tweets that he apologized for and seemed to had paid the consequences for already. Though I also understand and coldly respect why Disney had to fire him.
It’s the Mickey Mouse company. Any other movie studios, let’s say 20th Century Fox (pre-Disney deal) or Warner Bros probably would not have fired Gunn for past actions that were already public (just not viral) knowledge. It will be interesting to see what company decides to hire Gunn.
Supposedly Disney didn’t even know about the awful Gunn tweets, according to the same Variety article. I don’t know if I can believe this; it’s Disney. How would the company not know, especially after Gunn made a public apology?
If anything, Disney just didn’t care or maybe the company just wasn’t aware of all of the bad tweets. I love Disney but this excuse of ignorance is just disappointing.
Disney also couldn’t rehire Gunn because then its original decision to fire him would seem rash and thoughtless. I will agree that Disney was probably very thoughtful about this decision.
Gunn was a huge asset to the company but unfortunately the Mickey Mouse company had to say goodbye to him to maintain its family-friendly image. A fair decision indeed!
I do wonder how the cast will react to the reality that Gunn will not be rehired. However, I think with their letter, they really didn’t think Gunn would be rehired but they just wanted to show that they support him and plan on working with him in the future (even if it’s not with Disney).
This couldn’t have been an easy decision for Disney but it had to be made. And I choose to respect it. I also still respect James Gunn and will continue to be fan of his. I look forward to what his project will be and how it helps him made a comeback after this Hollywood tragedy.
