Guardians of the Galaxy Cast Issues Statement Supporting James Gunn

The main ensemble cast of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise has released a joint statement showing support for James Gunn following his firing from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Sean Gunn, Pom Klementieff, and Michael Rooker have all signed a statement saying that they all "fully support James Gunn." Alongside the statement, Pratt's tweet and Instagram post of it explicitly mentions that the star would "personally love to see him reinstated as director of Volume 3." Bautista similarly tweeted out the letter with the hashtags #IStandWithJamesGunn and #RehireJamesGunn (and #WeAreGroot for good measure).

The full statement, both in photo and text form, is posted below.

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 our 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 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 the time to read our words.

Disney announced Gunn's firing from Guardians Vol. 3 following the unearthing of years-old tweets that garnered controversy for the subject matter they joked about. Gunn issued an apology around the time of the tweets, noting he had previously publicly addressed them as well.

In the wake of his firing, a number of stars, including Guardians' Zoe Saldana and Sean Gunn, showed support for Gunn.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was set to begin shooting in Atlanta this fall, with an expected release date in 2020. Gunn has been writing the script and was attached as the writer and director for the third installment. It is unknown who will be directing the film going forward, or if it will have any delays, as well as whether the cast's support of Gunn will affect the production.

If Gunn is not rehired, IGN pitched the the directors we would want to see take over the Guardians franchise.

Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's News Editor. Find him on Twitter @jmdornbush.