Actor Dave Bautista said he would quit “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” if Marvel doesn't use the script fired director James Gunn wrote before he was let go from the project.
Gunn was fired last month from directing "Vol. 3" after decade-old tweets were discovered making offensive jokes about rape and pedophilia. Bautista, who plays Drax in the franchise, was among other members of the "Guardians" cast who sent an open letter to Disney supporting Gunn and asking for his reinstatement.
“Nobody’s defending his tweets, but this was a smear campaign on a good man,” Bautista told ShortList. “James is one of the kindest, most decent people I’ve met.”
“Where I’m at right now is that if [Marvel] don’t use that script, then I’m going to ask them to release me from my contract, cut me out or recast me,” Bautista continued. “I’d be doing James a disservice if I didn’t.”
Bautista tweeted in similar fashion early Monday morning, saying, “I will do what I’m legally obligated to do but [“Guardians”] without [James Gunn] is not what I signed up for.”
Bautista wasn’t hopeful that the letter or his tweets would bring about the desired result, however.
“I don’t think [it] will get him re-hired,” Bautista told ShortList. “But I hope it opens people’s eyes to James’ character.”
Gunn has apologized for the tweets, admitting that he had gone too far in trying to be humorous.
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