James Gunn Fired From GOTG. Conservative celebrities unearthed previous tweets from the filmmaker on Thursday, in which he joked about difficult themes including pedophilia and rape. President Donald Trump has been a frequent target of Gunn’s vitriol.

“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 Friday.

Twitter Reply

This Thursday, Gunn tweeted in response to the tweets being resurfaced, “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.” “It’s not to say I’m better, but I am very, very different than I was a few years ago; today I try to root my work in love and connection and less in anger. My days saying something just because it’s shocking and trying to get a reaction are over.”

After conservative website The Daily Caller dredged out the social media posts, which were largely uploaded in 2008 and 2009, the abusive tweets surfaced. Following that, conservative celebrities began tweeting to their followers, urging them to approach Gunn at Comic-Con. Gunn was anticipated to attend Sony’s press conference on Friday. According to sources, Gunn is no longer expected to be a member of the panel.