The filmmaker had been fired last July.

In a remarkable turn of events, Disney has reinstated James Gunn as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Disney fired Gunn last July, after old, offensive tweets from the filmmaker were resurfaced by conservative personalities online. The firing was controversial, with Guardians of the Galaxy stars, including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper and Dave Bautista, signing an open letter asking for the filmmaker to be rehired. Bautista, in particular, had been outspoken in his support of Gunn. Marvel Studios put Guardians 3 on hold, though Marvel head Kevin Feige and others involved have maintained they intended to make the film happen. Guardians 3 never had a release date, but Gunn previously said it would open in 2020.

In the weeks after firing Gunn, there was speculation around town about who could replace the filmmaker, with agents lining up clients but by mid-fall, any perceived search seemed to have petered out, with many thinking that the project was on the back burner. What almost no one knew was that Marvel and Disney had never undertaken a search and in fact became convinced he should be given a second chance. In the fall, Disney went back to Gunn and quietly made a deal, according to insiders. After the firing, Gunn moved on to Warner Bros. and DC to write and direct The Suicide Squad, which has Idris Elba set to star and has an Aug. 6, 2021 release date. Gunn plans on doing both films, with The Suicide Squad coming first, according to sources. After the news broke, Gunn — who has been silent on Twitter since his firing — tweeted a statement.