Amazon Studios has decided not to move forward with James Gunn’s Starsky & Hutch reboot.
As reported by Yahoo Finance, a spokesperson for Amazon Studios informed them that Amazon backed out of the project a few months ago, well before Gunn’s current scandal involving years-old, inappropriate tweets. Of course, while most outlets focused on Gunn’s firing from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, there had been no word on whether his Starsky & Hutch reboot would be affected.
RELATED: Chris Pratt & Zoe Saldana Break Silence on James Gunn’s Firing
“We passed on the project completely months ago,” the spokesperson said. “There was no statement. This is the same for any other project we do not move forward with.”
Amazon purchased the rights to the Sony TV series last August, with a “script-to-series commitment” reported at the time. The studio declined to give further information on exactly when and why it backed out of the project. It is also unclear if the series is under consideration elsewhere.
RELATED: Jim Starlin Calls James Gunn’s Firing ‘One Hell of a Bad Call’
Gunn was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 on July 20, after several older tweets of his, joking about controversial topics like pedophilia and rape, were brought to the company’s attention via conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich, who pointed to them as evidence of “pedo network operating in Hollywood.”
Although Gunn said he has accepted Disney’s decision, and takes “full responsibility” for his past, the filmmaker has received an outpouring of support from his peers, including Gunn’s brother Sean, Hellboy alum Selma Blair, Guardian’s actor Michael Rooker, and comedian Bobcat Goldthwait. Dave Bautista has also offered his support and ire.
A fan-launched petition for Disney to rehire Gunn is now nearing 220,000 signatures.