Dave Bautista, the actor who portrays Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, has expressed his feelings about continuing in the role after the removal of writer and director James Gunn, who was fired by Disney for a series of offensive tweets that he made in the past.
Ever since the announcement on July 20th that Gunn would not be involved in future Guardians of the Galaxy films, Bautista has defended him staunchly, making several public statements about his perceived injustice of Disney’s decision. Other actors and celebrities have weighed in with their support, as well, with an open letter on the subject being signed by the full main cast of the movies.
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However, Bautista is the first to address the question of his own future as an actor in the franchise. In response to a fan’s inquiry, he tweeted to say, “I will do what I’m legally obligated to do but Guardians without James Gunn is not what I signed up for.”
I will do what Im legally obligated to do but @Guardians without @JamesGunn is not what I signed up for. GOTG w/o @JamesGunn just isn’t GOTG. Its also pretty nauseating to work for someone who’d empower a smear campaign by fascists #cybernazis . That’s just how I feel https://t.co/Ym4FwruVDu
— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) August 5, 2018
In addition to noting that the series just wouldn’t be the same without Gunn, Bautista expressed some strong feelings about Disney, referring to the alt-right provocateur Mike Cernovich, who orchestrated an attack on Gunn by broadcasting his old tweets.
“It’s also pretty nauseating to work for someone who’d empower a smear campaign by fascist cybernazis,” he tweeted.
RELATED: Dave Bautista Blames ‘Cybernazis’ For James Gunn’s Firing
At this time, Disney has not revealed any intentions to reinstate Gunn, although a fan-made petition with over 350,000 supporters has been circulating. While the efforts of actors such as Bautista may not affect any decision, it’s inevitable that fans will be looking for a change in the way they reprise their roles under a new director.