Chris Pratt is “thrilled” to have James Gunn back as Guardians 3 director

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

James Gunn was fired from directing GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 last summer after old tweets resurfaced featuring some inappropriate jokes, but in March they rescinded the decision and placed the movie back into Gunn’s loving hands. Right after his initial firing, the main cast came out in support of Gunn, and they have since expressed their excitement about his return. Star (Lord) Chris Pratt is the most recent cast member to talk about how pleased he is with the move, saying it sticks to the theme of the series: second chances.

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The leader of the Guardians and recipient of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR’s “Biggest F**k Up” award was speaking with People Magazine at the AVENGERS: ENDGAME premiere when he said how “thrilled” he was to have Gunn back behind the camera.

“I was so thrilled, so excited. I think it’s the right move, I really stand behind it. I’m really proud of Disney for hiring James back and ultimately thrilled for not only us but also for the fans. I think it’s going to wrap up the trilogy in the best way.”

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Pratt, along with Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, Michael Rooker and Vin Diesel, all signed a statement after Gunn’s firing urging Disney to reinstate him. After he was brought back on, Saldana commented saying “I'm proud of him. I'm happy that he's coming back,” and also that she was proud of Disney for the move.

Pratt went on to talk about how Gunn's reinstatement ties back into the major themes of the GUARDIANS movies, namely about learning from your past and getting a second chance to do the right thing.

“And Guardians of the Galaxy are really all about second chances and giving people an opportunity to be their best. We’re a ragtag squad of people coming together and having each other’s back. I think it really worked out the way it was supposed to, and I feel good about it.”

GUARDIANS 3 was set to begin production fall 2018-winter 2019 but had been halted as Disney tried to find a new director. Between being fired and rehired Gunn went on to accept the gig to direct the new SUICIDE SQUAD movie, which he will complete before tackling GUARDIANS 3. Gunn put out his own statement after being brought back on, posting: