James Gunn Off Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Following 'Offensive' Tweets

Writer/director James Gunn has been removed from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and his relationship with Marvel and parent company Walt Disney have been "severed," according to a Disney statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.  The statement comes after a series of tweets from Gunn resurfaced that Disney called "offensive".

"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," said Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn in a statement.

Last evening, Gunn responded to the years-old tweets resurfacing on Twitter, then deleted, saying:

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.

In the past, I have apologized for humor of mine that hurt people. I truly felt sorry and meant every word of my apologies.

For the record, when I made these shocking jokes, I wasn’t living them out. I know this is a weird statement to make, and seems obvious, but, still, here I am, saying it.

Anyway, that’s the completely honest truth: I used to make a lot of offensive jokes. I don’t anymore. I don’t blame my past self for this, but I like myself more and feel like a more full human being and creator today. Love you to you all.

Originally published on Newsarama.