The removal of James Gunn as director from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been arguably the most controversial thing to happen in the MCU since its inception. Despite the support of the cast, fans and others in the industry, it does not look like Disney will be re-hiring James Gunn to direct the film. While James Gunn will not be helming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, there has been the hope among many that Marvel would still use James Gunn's finished script for the film. But according to one rumor, it looks like Marvel will be throwing out James Gunn's script as well.
This is just a rumor at this point, and one that should be taken with a massive grain of salt. Christopher Marc of Geeks Worldwide, who first reported the news on Twitter, also advises that it is unconfirmed. But his reasoning does make sense. When James Gunn was fired, Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn stated that the studio had severed its business relationship with the filmmaker. If Gunn's script is still used and his name is in the credits, that relationship stands, albeit strained. According to Marc, the production start on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was scheduled for January or February of 2019, but has now shifted, with James Gunn's name is no longer attached as director or screenwriter. So it stands to reason that his script has been thrown out as well.
While unconfirmed, this report make sense. If Disney ends up throwing out James Gunn's Guardians 3 script out, a new writer would need to be brought on board, and we can therefore expect a huge delay for the film. Although at this point delaying Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 might be the best option. In addition to a delay, tossing James Gunn's script would invite even more backlash against Disney. Dave Bautista has been extremely vocal about his feelings on James Gunn's firing, and he has even stated that if Marvel doesn't use James Gunn's script, he will ask to be released from his contract. So if this rumor turns out to be true, I'd expect a very angry Drax.
The Guardians films have the greatest sense of authorship from their filmmaker of all of the MCU films. Without James Gunn's script and perspective, there is a question of whether or not it will still even be a Guardians film. Marvel will definitely need to find a new director, and perhaps that was part of the rumored decision. Other directors might feel uncomfortable directing James Gunn's script, so better to give them a clean slate to work with. There's also been conflicting reports that Disney is indeed aiming to use the script, further complicating the Guardians threequel.
Unfortunately Disney has been between a rock and a hard place since the beginning with this situation. Once the company committed to severing ties with James Gunn, the backlash began. Keeping James Gunn's script and his name on the film would invite the outrage that got James Gunn canned in the first place. Conversely, throwing out his script would result will in even more outrage from the fans who support James Gunn. Firing Gunn as director but keeping his script could be a nice middle ground that won't make everyone happy, but would keep some tensions down. Perhaps this script rumor will prove false, and we'll still get some of the filmmaker's voice in the threequel after all.
We'll keep you updated if this rumor becomes something more, but rest assured this Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 saga probably won't be going away until even after the film is eventually released. Perhaps it is best at this point to just not do it at all.
