• Disney has fired the director James Gunn from the third “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie because of old offensive tweets of his that recently resurfaced.
  • “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,” Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn said in a statement.

The “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise writer-director James Gunn has been fired by Disney after old offensive tweets of his resurfaced this week.

“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,” Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn said in a statement to Business Insider.

Gunn was writing the script for the third “Guardians” movie, which was set to begin shooting in the fall with a 2020 release date.

Gunn’s offensive tweets, mostly from 2010 and 2011, were brought to light by conservative personalities who opposed Gunn’s criticism of President Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

In one 2010 tweet, Gunn wrote: "The Expendables was so manly I f---ed the s--- out of the little p---- boy next to me! The boys ARE back in town!"

On Thursday night, Gunn addressed the controversy in a series of tweets, saying, "As I've developed as a person, so has my work and my humor."

He said in another tweet: "In the past, I have apologized for humor of mine that hurt people. I truly felt sorry and meant every word of my apologies."

The "Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise has been one of the most successful for Disney/Marvel. Last year's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" was the fifth-highest-grossing domestic release of 2017 and earned over $860 million worldwide.

Gunn gave the following statement to Business Insider after publication:

"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."