Update, March 15, 2019:
Deadline reports Alan Horn and James Gunn have resolved their differences, and are seeking to reinstate Gunn on the movie, which he will direct after The Suicide Squad. Original story is as follows:
James Gunn will not direct the third Guardians of the Galaxy film, after old tweets where the filmmaker made jokes about pedophilia and rape emerged. Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan F. Horn said in a statement:
“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.”
The Hollywood Reporter states the tweets were found by conservative opponents of Gunn on Twitter, who were irritated by his regular criticisms of Donald Trump. Yesterday, Gunn apologized for his comments, stating, “Many people who have followed my career know when I started, I viewed myself as a provocateur, making movies and telling jokes that were outrageous and taboo. As I have discussed publicly many times, as I’ve developed as a person, so has my work and my humor.”
Gunn wrote and directed Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), and had completed the screenplay for the third film, which was expected to start shooting in Atlanta this fall for a 2020 release. The director was also an executive producer on Avengers: Infinity War, serving as a consultant on the film’s dialogue and soundtrack. Marvel Studios have yet to comment.