Disney Fires 'Guardian of the Galaxy' Director Over Offensive Tweets

By Ben Fritz

Walt Disney Co. on Friday severed its relationship with James Gunn, who previously directed two "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies for its Marvel Studios unit that together grossed $1.64 billion. He was expected to soon start work on a third.

The move came after The Daily Caller website and online critics resurfaced tweets written between 2008 and 2012 by Mr. Gunn, before he worked for Marvel, in which he made sexually explicit jokes, including some about children.

"The offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James's Twitter feed are indefensible and inconsistent with our studio's values," Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn said in a statement.

Mr. Gunn in a statement said his tweets were "stupid, not at all funny, wildly insensitive" and "don't reflect the person I am today." He added that "I understand and accept the business decisions taken today" by Disney.

Write to Ben Fritz at ben.fritz@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 20, 2018 19:47 ET (23:47 GMT)

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