The actor, who plays Drax the Destroyer in the comic book franchise, has been one of the most outspoken supporters of James Gunn. The director was fired last month after alt-right commentators, in response to the director's vocal political position, unearthed controversial tweets in which he joked about paedophilia and rape.
"It’s a bitter-sweet conversation. Um, no it’s a bitter-bitter conversation because I’m not really happy with what they’ve done with James Gunn," he said on the Jonathan Ross Show. "They’re putting the movie off. It’s on hold indefinitely. To be honest with you I don’t know if I want to work for Disney."
Production on Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been put on hold until further notice, in light of Gunn's firing. The small crew that was prepping preproduction have reportedly been dismissed and told they are free to look for new work. Filming was originally set to begin either in January or February, with full pre-production commencing in the fall.
Sources have stated that the halt is more of a temporary "regrouping" as Marvel and Disney negotiate a new director to step into Gunn's place. There is also no indication as to whether Gunn's already completed script will be used and, since Disney never set a release date for the sequel, how this delay affects Marvel's greater slate.
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Bautista was amongst the Guardians cast who signed an open letter supporting his re-hiring; he's also made several comments on the matter, previously describing the prospect of working on the sequel without Gunn as "nauseating".
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