Dave Bautista has described working for Disney as "nauseating" following James Gunn’s firing.
The 49-year-old actor has slammed the company for its treatment of the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ filmmaker, who was axed while working on the third installment of the franchise due to offensive social media posts he made in the past.
Responding to a fan asking if he would be back for the third film, Bautista – who plays Drax in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – tweeted: "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 (sic)"
Outspoken white nationalist and conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich had pushed a campaign to get Gunn fired after promising to target his "enemies" by unearthing "fireable tweets".
Since Gunn was axed, the full cast of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ – including Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt and Vin Diesel – have signed an open letter calling for his reinstatement.
They wrote in an open letter: "We fully support James Gunn. We were all shocked by his abrupt firing last week and have intentionally waited these ten days to respond in order to think, pray, listen, and discuss. In that time, we’ve been encouraged by the outpouring of support from fans and members of the media who wish to see James reinstated as director of Volume 3 as well as discouraged by those so easily duped into believing the many outlandish conspiracy theories surrounding him.
"There is little due process in the court of public opinion. Given the growing political divide in this country, it’s safe to say instances like this will continue, although we hope Americans from across the political spectrum can ease up on the character assassinations and stop weaponizing mob mentality."
Gunn had previously issued a statement on the incident, where he apologised for the comments he made in the past.
He wrote on Twitter: "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."
Dave Bautista slams ‘nauseating’ Disney over James Gunn firing
