Michelle Yeoh has condemned Disney's decision to sack James Gunn as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

The Bafta-nominated actress played Aleta Ogord in the second movie of the series, but has now said she is "horrified" at Gunn's firing.

Currently starring in Crazy Rich Asians, Yeoh told Yahoo Movies UK: "I was shocked, horrified that we can allow something like that to happen."

She added: "You're talking about things that he said in the archives. If he had said it yesterday, or today, or something like this then you can make a big fuss but why dig up something now?

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"I don't understand at all. It's so unnecessary, what good does it do?"

Gunn was removed from the third Guardians project for "offensive attitudes and statements" in some of his old tweets, which a Disney spokesperson declared "indefensible and inconsistent with our studio's values".

James Gunn has addressed the sacking, both on Twitter and in a subsequent statement, apologising for his past behaviour and crude jokes while promising he had changed.

Yeoh, best-known for roles in Tomorrow Never Dies and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, joins a growing list of Guardians stars to speak out about Gunn's firing.

Marvel Studios

Glenn Close recently told Empire that "it's hard to think of" the franchise without Gunn, while Dave Bautista – aka Drax the Destroyer – hinted that he may not return for the third instalment.

In July, a large proportion of the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy released a joint statement in support of Gunn stating that they would "love to see him reinstated as director of Volume 3".

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