Guardians Of The Galaxy Cast Voices Strong Support For James Gunn

In recent weeks, there has been all kinds of controversy around the firing of director James Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 because of some old but explicit tweets. Many actors and industry people in general have since spoken out in favor of the director, but now, the entire central cast of Guardians of the Galaxy has signed a statement supporting James Gunn. [Update: Despite the letter, Disney reportedly is not inclined to rehire Gunn.]

The statement does not explicitly call for the reinstatement of Gunn, nor does the letter express any kind of support for the jokes that were made, but rather speaks to Gunn's character and how liked and admired he is by the cast in general. The letter also talks about the court of public opinion, saying, "James is likely not the last good person to be put on trial." Chris Pratt and others have posted the letter to Twitter and Instagram, where Pratt said he would personally like to see Gunn reinstated.

Essentially, the letter communicates that even though Gunn made some poor choices in the past, that doesn't make him a bad person. They aren't necessarily asking for anything, but instead, they discuss the dangers of mob mentality, and express their hope that people will learn from this and be more careful what they post online.

Instead of signing the letter as the franchise's cast, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Sean Gunn, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, and Michael Rooker, all signed their names to the statement as, "The Guardians of the Galaxy". Bautista and Rooker had already made their feelings known about the decision, but now it seems that the cast is showing solidarity on this issue.

Gunn directed the previous two Guardians films, both of which were very successful, and his firing has sparked a conversation questioning how fair the consequences can be when it comes to posting on social media.

The complete letter reads,

To our fans and friends:

We fully support James Gunn. We were all shocked by his abrupt firing last week and have intentionally waited these ten days to respond in order to think, pray, listen, and discuss. In that time, we've been encouraged by the outpouring of support from fans and members of the media who wish to see James reinstated as director of Volume 3 as well as discouraged by those so easily duped into believing the many outlandish conspiracy theories surrounding him.

Being in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies has been a great honor in each of our lives. We cannot let this moment pass without expressing our love, support, and gratitude for James. We are not here to defend his jokes of many years ago but rather to share out experience having spent many years together on set making Guardians of the Galaxy 1 and 2. The character he has shown in the wake of his firing is consistent with the man he was every day on set, and his apology, now and from years ago when first addressing these remarks, we believe is from the heart, a heart we all know, trust, and love. In casting each of us to help him tell the story of misfits who find redemption, he changed our lives forever. We believe the theme of redemption has never been more relevant than now.

Each of us looks forward to working with our friend James again in the future. His story isn't over--not by a long shot.

There is little due process in the court of public opinion. James is likely not the last good person to be put on trial. Given the growing political divide in this country, it's safe to say instances like this will continue, although we hope Americans from across the political spectrum can ease up on the character assassinations and stop weaponizing mob mentality.

It is our hope that what has transpired can serve as an example for all of us to realize the enormous responsibility we have to ourselves and to each other regarding the use of our written words when we etch them in the digital stone; that we as a society may learn from this experience and in the future will think twice before we decide what we want to express; and in so learning perhaps can harness this capability to help and heal instead of hurting each other. Thank you for taking this time to read our words.

The Guardians of the Galaxy,

• Chris Pratt
• Zoe Saldana
• Dave Bautista
• Karen Gillan
• Bradley Cooper
• Sean Gunn
• Vin Diesel
• Pom Klementieff
• Michael Rooker