Back in July, director James Gunn was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after offensive tweets he had made in the past resurfaced. Now, Disney and Marvel have reportedly put the film’s production on hold indefinitely. According to The Hollywood Reporter, crew members hired in Atlanta to begin Vol. 3’s pre-production this fall have been released from the project and are free to take other work, i.e. pre-production ain’t starting any time soon. A source told THR that the pause was necessary to “re-group.†Said the source, “The timeline has been pushed out.â€
While Gunn later apologized for the jokes, some of which made light of pedophilia and rape, Disney declined to rehire him, a move that disappointed the Guardians of the Galaxy cast and down-right angered franchise star Dave Bautista, who has been a fervent vocal supporter of Gunn. While there could be any number of delays affecting the film, the fact Disney and Marvel have yet to announce a replacement for Gunn, or even a potential replacement, is the culprit here. While we’re no experts, shooting a film without a director at all does seem like a pretty risky move, both financially and creatively speaking.