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| Photo credit: VIANNEY LE CAER/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK |
Well I guess we’re not allowed nice things …
Disney, Marvel and James Gunn have parted ways after a reactionary, alt-right, rape apologist uncovered tweets Gunn had made 6 and 10 years ago where he jokes about child sexual abuse and child rape.
Now, first of all, obviously and as should go without saying, those subjects are both very serious and horrific and should not be trivialised or mocked.
Gunn has released a series of Tweets in response, where he essentially explains that earlier on in his career, he considered himself a ‘provocateur’, where he practised shock humour – making comments designed purely to gain attention by provoking reactions.
It’s a stage a lot of us go through, especially those who come from any background of privilege. I certainly made a lot of casual sexist comments, said ‘edgy’ things and made inappropriate ‘jokes’. I look at my Facebook Memories everyday and I cringe at statuses I made in 2012 and 2008, because I said stupid things.
Then, as I learnt more about social action, oppression and why problematic things are damaging, I stopped – I continued to educate myself – and I tried to be better.
And that’s also what Gunn did. He came to realise his content wasn’t acceptable, and grew out of it.
2. It’s not to say I’m better, but I am very, very different than I was a few years ago; today I try to root my work in love and connection and less in anger. My days saying something just because it’s shocking and trying to get a reaction are over.— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 20, 2018
This doesn’t make any of the stuff he said okay. It was still wrong and it still is. But people make mistakes and they need a chance to grow. If someone realises they were problematic, they need to acknowledge it and then use that to reflect and do better. Which is what Gunn did.
It’s really annoying that this has happened, because Disney have played right in and affirmed Michael Cernovich’s attempts. Cernovich is a white supremacist famous for pushing Pizzagate and is, hypocritically, a rape apologist. Cernovich’s technique is typical of the alt-right. Demonise or discredit a well-known individual who has progressive attitudes, so then they can use that as ammo to attack the progressive movement as a whole.
I will have more to say but for right now all I will say is this..@JamesGunn is one of the most loving,caring,good natured people I have ever met. He’s gentle and kind and cares deeply for people and animals. He’s made mistakes. We all have. Im NOT ok with what’s happening to him— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) July 21, 2018
And personally I’d probably care more about the jokes if they weren’t 8 years old. People can grow out of general shittiness.— Jennie (@angrybooklady) July 20, 2018
He got discovered six years ago, has demonstrably changed as a storyteller (his two mega movies are both about growing out of toxic masculinity), and basically Disney was targeted by a bot army that regularly makes these same jokes.— John 11/6/2018 (@JohnDellaporta) July 21, 2018
held over me now. If people he worked with started coming forward with stories to suggest otherwise, I’d change my view in an instant though.— Emily Oswin (@MsEmilyOswin) July 21, 2018
1) James Gunn said awful, disgusting things.2) We need to give people space to grow, and learn from their past.
3) Mike Cernovich and the alt-right have weaponized the left’s morality. He is not operating in good faith, and is a toxic opportunist. Do your fucking homework.
— Patrick Klepek (@patrickklepek) July 20, 2018
So of course the question is now what will happen with both Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 and the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole, considering Gunn was leading the creative direction of the MCU at the moment. Almost certainly Gunn won’t direct Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3. I also don’t feel they’ll keep his script, of which he had finished his first draft, as then they’d have to keep his screenwriter credit, which is still as prominent. As this movie was meant to conclude the trilogy’s arc, it’s possible they’ll still use his treatment, crediting him with a ‘story by’ credit.
People are citing Taika Watiti as a replacement for director, following his success of Marvel’s other cosmic film and tonally the closest to the Guardians, Thor: Ragnarok. In terms of writer, it makes sense to me to assign it to Nicole Perlman, who wrote and developed the original Guardians of the Galaxy script before James Gunn was brought on board and rewrote it.
I am really upset by all this. The direction the Marvel Cinematic Universe is heading was set strongly with Gunn’s vision in mind, and I was really looking forward to it, so it’s a loss we’ll never get to see that.
Thanks, reactionaries, for ruining something else.
