James Gunn revealed Marvel was unaware of his involvement with The Suicide Squad when they rehired him to write and direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The Suicide Squad is scheduled to release on August 6th, 2021, serving as a sequel to 2016’s Suicide Squad. Having already worked on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, Gunn was all set to direct the third installment of the franchise until several of his inappropriate tweets resurfaced last year.

Disney and Marvel stood firm in their decision for quite a while, until eventually hiring him again. Fan and cast support for Gunn after the firing was overwhelming. Other names like Taika Waititi and Adam McKay were thrown around as replacements. Serving as the chief creative mind behind the Guardians franchise, Gunn is steeped in the story, and the studio recognized the value he adds to the films. Although he took full responsibility for his actions, the director expressed how upset he was after losing the job before his eventual rehiring. 

Gunn revealed on Instagram that Marvel had no knowledge of his involvement in The Suicide Squad before rehiring him for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The news came in the comments section of one of his posts, responding to someone who questioned if Disney would have rehired him without his involvement in The Suicide Squad. “I know for a fact they would have as they didn’t know about Squad when they first talked to me,” Gunn wrote back in response.

The Suicide Squad just wrapped production earlier this week, and Gunn celebrated the occasion by sharing a photo of his cast and crew, thanking them for their hard work. While that film is well on its way, Guardians is a different story. The script was already in the works before Gunn was fired, but production for the film is not set to start until February of 2021. Plot details have yet to be revealed, and aside from the fact that its events occur after those of Thor: Love and Thunder, not much else is known.

The question now is whether or not Disney’s decision to rehire Gunn for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 would have played out any differently if they had known about his work with DC and Warner Bros. Some may argue that it would have motivated the studio to snag him up even quicker. In contrast, others may feel it could have tainted his relationship with Marvel. In the end, Gunn landed both directing jobs, giving fans of his work two new films to look forward to seeing in theaters.

More: Chris Pratt Won’t Deny (Or Confirm) Thor Is In Guardians of the Galaxy 3

Source: James Gunn via Instagram

  • Suicide Squad 2 Release Date: 2021-08-06 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Release Date: 2023-05-05