Guardians of the Galaxy Cast Pens Open Letter in Support of James Gunn
The cast of Guardians of the Galaxy has signed an open letter calling for Disney to reinstate James Gunn as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Gunn was fired by Disney after offensive, years-old comments he made about pedophilia and rape were unearthed by right-wing detractors.
Stars to sign the open letter include Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Sean Gunn, Karen Gillan, Michael Rooker and Pom Klementieff.
RELATED: James Gunn Fired From Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Pratt shared the letter to his Instagram account with the title, “An Open Letter from the Cast of Guardians of the Galaxy.” “Being in the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ movies has been a great honor in each of our lives,” the letter states. “We cannot let this moment pass without expressing our love, support, and gratitude for James.”
Though the letter shows the cast opening supporting the fired director, it stops short of demanding Gunn’s reinstatement. However, shortly after Pratt’s post went online, Saldana and Bautista both reshared the letter directly calling for Gunn’s rehiring.
If you please, read the statement written and signed by The Guardians of the Galaxy cast in support of James Gunn’s reinstatement as director of GOTG Volume 3. pic.twitter.com/TjNA9RF6M8
— Zoe Saldana (@zoesaldana) July 30, 2018
#IStandWithJamesGunn #RehireJamesGunn #WeAreGroot pic.twitter.com/w3uh61hd78
— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) July 30, 2018
Saldana’s statement reads, “If you please, read the statement written and signed by The Guardians of the Galaxy cast in support of James Gunn’s reinstatement as director of GOTG Volume 3.” Bautista kept his statement short and to the point: “#IStandWithJamesGunn #RehireJamesGunn #WeAreGroot.”
Many of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 cast, among other Hollywood stars, were already outspoken in their support of Gunn. Michael Rooker and Selma Blair both quit Twitter as a sign of solidarity, while Bobcat Goldthwait asked Marvel’s parent company, Disney, to remove his voice from its theme park rides. Also, more than 335,000 people have signed a Change.org petition for Disney to rehire Gunn.
RELATED: Who Can Replace James Gunn As Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Director?
Gunn had recently completed his first draft of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which was slated to begin filming in January in Atlanta for a 2020 release. However, Marvel Studios had yet to officially announce a release date, and it’s unclear at this time how Gunn’s firing will affect plans for the sequel, or if Disney will consider the cast’s demands.
