(CNN) Disney has reversed course on its next flight for "Guardians of the Galaxy," reinstating writer-director James Gunn to oversee the third movie, after firing him last year in the wake of learning about offensive social-media posts..

Gunn had been targeted by conservative activists -- in part because of his vocal criticism of President Trump -- who resurfaced old tweets in which he made light of pedophilia and molestation. In firing him, Disney labeled the comments "indefensible and inconsistent with our studio's values."

Although Gunn apologized and issued a statement saying, "I understand and accept the business decisions taken," there was almost immediately a backlash on the director's behalf, with supporters claiming that the studio had overreacted and moved too precipitously to sever ties.

Those urging the studio to reconsider -- which fostered the hashtag #WeAreGroot, drawing from a character in the films -- included members of the "Guardians" cast, as well as other Hollywood figures such as actress Selma Blair. A Change.org petition to "Rehire James Gunn" amassed more than 200,000 signatures.

Gunn's reinstatement, first reported by Deadline , comes after he had already been signed to direct another major movie: The sequel to "Suicide Squad," a DC Comics property that will be released by Warner Bros. (Like CNN, that studio is a unit of WarnerMedia.)

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