Guardians of the Galaxy star, Dave Bautista has continued his online criticism of Disney after the firing of director James Gunn from the third instalment of the popular franchise.
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Disney severed ties with the director after a series of disturbing tweets resurfaced online from between 2008 and 2011. The tweets show the now 51-year-old making multiple jokes about paedophilia and rape.
Bautista, who plays Drax, The Destroyer in the Marvel films, took to his Twitter just hours after the news first broke.
The actor tweeted he was “NOT ok with what’s happening” to Gunn:
I will have more to say but for right now all I will say is this..@JamesGunn is one of the most loving,caring,good natured people I have ever met. He’s gentle and kind and cares deeply for people and animals. He’s made mistakes. We all have. Im NOT ok with what’s happening to him
— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) July 21, 2018
Two days ago, The Hollywood Reporter ran a piece titled “In firing James Gunn, Disney hurts all of Hollywood.” Written by Marvel and DC writer Marc Bernardin, the article acknowledged that though Gunn’s tweets were undoubtedly disgusting for a then 40-something-year-old to tweet, firing him seemed a step too far.
But so long as there has been no actual criminal activity, there has to be a difference between who a person was and who a person is. And we have to allow for the fact that people can change.
Bautista saw the article and retweeted it with the caption “And then some! Never make a mistake! Don’t have a sense of humor! Don’t be politically outspoken! Etc. fucking etc!!!”
The former WWE star then tweeted this:
I think today I’ll find a good person who spreads the message of https://t.co/rhZk7pzEsD.Forgiveness.Redemption. Misfit,Child,Female Empowerment and ruin his life. Fuck it! I’ll go ahead and empower some fascists while Im at it! DISCLAIMER FOR MORONS AND FUTURE VIEWS: Im JOKING!
— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) July 27, 2018
Followed by a tweet thanking his supporters:
Thanks Lindsay. Sending mad respect back. ✌🏼 https://t.co/F3U9ZvsS8t
— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) July 27, 2018
Guardians frontman Chris Pratt also tweeted his response to the firing as did Zoe Saldana:
“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters. Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.”
JAMES 1:19
🙏♥️— Chris Pratt (@prattprattpratt) July 22, 2018
It’s been a challenging weekend I’m not gonna lie. I’m pausing myself to take everything in before I speak out of term. I just want everyone to know I love ALL members of my GOTG family. Always will.
— Zoe Saldana (@zoesaldana) July 22, 2018
Despite all this push back, it seems unlikely Disney would overturn their decision. The powerhouse has yet to officially name a replacement director for the third Guardians. A number of fans have called for Thor Ragnarok director Taika Waititi to step into the role.
The film is due for release sometime in 2020.
