Dave Bautista, Guardians of the Galaxy's Drax, has come to the defense of the franchise's writer and director, James Gunn, after he was fired from the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 for controversial tweets that were recently resurfaced.

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Gunn had made jokes about topics such as rape and pedophilia primarily during the years of 2008 and 2009, and these tweets were brought to the surface by a conservative news website, The Daily Caller.Walt Disney Studios chairman, Alan Horn, said that, "the offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James' Twitter feed are indefensible and inconsistent with our studio's values, and we have severed our business relationship with him."James Gunn issued a statement on Friday, saying:"My words of nearly a decade ago were, at the time, totally failed and unfortunate efforts to be provocative. I have regretted them for many years since — not just because they were stupid, not at all funny, wildly insensitive, and certainly not provocative like I had hoped, but also because they don't reflect the person I am today or have been for some time. Regardless of how much time has passed, I understand and accept the business decisions taken today. Even these many years later, I take full responsibility for the way I conducted myself then. All I can do now, beyond offering my sincere and heartfelt regret, is to be the best human being I can be: accepting, understanding, committed to equality, and far more thoughtful about my public statements and my obligations to our public discourse. To everyone inside my industry and beyond, I again offer my deepest apologies. Love to all." Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was scheduled to begin filming in Atlanta later this fall, with an expected release date in 2020. Gunn recently submitted the first draft of the script for this third installment and it is currently unknown who will be taking over the film.James was scheduled to make a Hall H appearance at San Diego Comic-Con 2018 after teasing a new project, but sources confirmed to IGN that he would not be taking part in the panel.

Adam Bankhurst is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.